A yelloweye rockfish living in the sandy bottom habitat in a Sidney aquarium ironically has only one eye.

He certainly startles people on occasion, when he turns and they're faced with that second empty eye socket, admits the manager of animal care at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.

Affectionately dubbed Leon, the ocean creature lost its eyeball in a surgery determined to extend the quality of his life. The finned fella kept repeatedly damaging his eye. The last time was so bad, it damaged the eye beyond the fish's healing capacity so the best option was removal surgery. 

It was the Salish Sea centre乌鸦传媒檚 first venture with Central Saanich veterinarian Dr. Marley Chou.

The vet returned to perform bilateral oophorectomy 乌鸦传媒� ovary removal similar to spaying a pet 乌鸦传媒� on a rock greenling in a Nov. 26, 2024 surgery intended to extend the marine animal乌鸦传媒檚 life.

The fish was retaining her eggs, and was unable to release them. After unsuccessfully trying medication to stimulate egg release, an ultrasound confirmed the eggs remained bound 乌鸦传媒� starting to solidify in the fish乌鸦传媒檚 body and she would never pass them. Surgery was the only option for the life-threatening condition.

乌鸦传媒淎nimal welfare is the top priority for us all the time. It乌鸦传媒檚 not something people always see,乌鸦传媒� LeSergeant said, noting surgeries are rare.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 something that乌鸦传媒檚 going to drastically improve the health of this animal and give it a longer and healthier life.乌鸦传媒�

Fish, like humans, are put under for surgery.

An anesthetic drug is dissolved into water and the fish laid in a trough on a table while the centre乌鸦传媒檚 registered vet tech keeps anesthetic water running over the fish乌鸦传媒檚 gills to provide oxygen and to keep it under while the vet does the hour-long surgery.

Just like humans, someone monitors the animal乌鸦传媒檚 vitals throughout.

It aligns with the centre乌鸦传媒檚 approach to care and welfare of animals in general, with the team dedicated to encompassing ethical, scientific and environmental responsibilities of the animals in their care. The goal is to ensure all animals have the best lives possible while living in the Sidney centre.

乌鸦传媒淧art of our 10-year strategic plan involves making sure we have the highest standard of animal care,乌鸦传媒� LeSergeant said. 乌鸦传媒淲e are highly focused on keeping those five freedoms of animal welfare.乌鸦传媒�

Those are the freedom from hunger, pain injury and disease; distress; discomfort; and freedom to express behaviours that promote well-being.

When acquiring animals, the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea takes precautions to reduce the impact on wild populations.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e also very careful about how we source our animals as well, making sure we乌鸦传媒檙e taking things respectfully and only as necessary,乌鸦传媒� LeSergeant said. 乌鸦传媒淭he animal care team is highly committed to upholding the highest standards for these fish and invertebrates 乌鸦传媒� making sure collectively those animals are happy, healthy and hopefully making people love the ocean more.乌鸦传媒�

The goal is to support a healthy Salish Sea with a focus on education, exploration and conservation, while fostering appreciation.

乌鸦传媒淲hen you stand at the surface you can乌鸦传媒檛 see what乌鸦传媒檚 going on underneath,乌鸦传媒� LeSergeant said. 乌鸦传媒淭o be able to go into the aquarium and see the fish right in front of your face and have an understanding of what乌鸦传媒檚 down there and what it looks like 乌鸦传媒� it乌鸦传媒檚 a cool experience for people to see what乌鸦传媒檚 going on under the Salish Sea.乌鸦传媒�

Right now visitors won乌鸦传媒檛 see the female greenling as it remains in quarantine. She乌鸦传媒檒l be reassessed when her sutures come out, but Leon乌鸦传媒檚 ongoing story suggests this latest surgery could also spell success.

He too endured quarantine with pain medications and antibiotics. Upon his return to the sandy bottom habitat, it took a little bit to get used to having one eye, and his appearance prompts questions routinely from the visiting public spurred by the empty eye socket.

The much-loved, one-eyed rockfish was once regularly sequestered to quarantine with eye injuries.

Now he乌鸦传媒檚 a picky eater much loved by both the public and the team at the Sidney aquarium.

乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 definitely a squid guy,乌鸦传媒� LeSergeant said with a chuckle. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 definitely the animal care team乌鸦传媒檚 favourite fish, well definitely up there.乌鸦传媒�