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鈥檚 first venture with Central Saanich veterinarian Marley Chou.

The vet returned to perform bilateral oophorectomy 鈥� ovary removal similar to spaying a pet 鈥� on a rock greenling in a Nov. 26, 2024 surgery intended to extend the marine animal鈥檚 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 鈥� starting to solidify in the fish鈥檚 body and she would never pass them. Surgery was the only option for the life-threatening condition.

鈥淎nimal welfare is the top priority for us all the time. It鈥檚 not something people always see,鈥� LeSergeant said, noting surgeries are rare.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 going to drastically improve the health of this animal and give it a longer and healthier life.鈥�

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鈥檚 registered vet tech keeps anesthetic water running over the fish鈥檚 gills to provide oxygen and to keep it under while the vet does the hour-long surgery.

Just like humans, someone monitors the animal鈥檚 vitals throughout.

It aligns with the centre鈥檚 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Right now visitors won鈥檛 see the female greenling as it remains in quarantine. She鈥檒l be reassessed when her sutures come out, but Leon鈥檚 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鈥檚 a picky eater much loved by both the public and the team at the .

鈥淗e鈥檚 definitely a squid guy,鈥� LeSergeant said with a chuckle. 鈥淗e鈥檚 definitely the animal care team鈥檚 favourite fish, well definitely up there.鈥�