Zoo Rating: Oregon Coast Aquarium

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Newport, Oregon, USA

 

About the Zoo

Opening up in 1992, the Oregon Coast Aquarium was the product of a dream of many Newport, Oregon business leaders and schoolchildren to build a large aquarium facility on the Oregon Coast. Showcasing mostly animals from the northeast Pacific, the aquarium’s 23 acres (9.3 hectares) are home to around 500 species of animals.

1. Species

Despite not being huge and being isolated along the northern Oregon coast, the Aquarium is home to a few very special species, including some that are rarely kept in captivity. These include Northern sea otters (some of the only in the world), Giant Pacific octopus, spotted ratfish and broadnose sevengill sharks. Past residents of the Aquarium include Stellar’s sea lions, western snowy plowers and even Keiko the Orca, star of the hit film ”Free Willy”.

Score: 7.5

2. Animal welfare

The utmost care is taken of the aquarium’s animals, as with any modern large aquarium. Constant filtration and carefully watched life support systems keep teh Aquarium’s many species of rockfish, eels and other north Pacific fish alive. The larger animals, the seabirds, sea otters and pinnipeds are kept healthy through exercise and nutritional care. Some of the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s animals are rescues, and require special care. That’s no problem for the facility.

Score: 8

3. Construction

Oregon Coast Aquarium’s entrance is a building of about 40,000 square feet. In here is the main entrance, a gift shop, and four exhibition areas: Sandy Shores, Rocky Shores, Coastal Waters and an ever-changing, temporary exhibition gallery. These first galleries showcase a variety of coastal life native to the Oregon coast. After checking out these, visitors can then go outside to the Aquarium’s four acres of outside habitats, featuring sea otters, giant Pacific octopus, seals, sea lions, seabirds and turkey vultures. Once all of these wonderfull creatures are viewed, the final exhibition known as ‘Passages of the Deep’ can be explored. This habitat was the final in-captivity home of Keiko, but now is home to many species in three special habitats: Orford Reef, Halibut Flats and Open Sea. Fifty yards of underwater tunnels take you in and around coastal and pelagic habitats, and finally empty into a large corridor with various sea-based art pieces. Finally, guests can walk a quarter-mile trail around the Aquarium’s grounds to view a natural estuary, where shorebirds and sea life can be watched. In total, Oregon Coast Aquarium gives guests a true view into the world of the North Pacific coast, one that really is not matched by any other facility.

Score: 8.5

4. Accomodations

A restaurant, several restrooms, two gift shops and an event room all appeal to guests’ basic needs. Aside from these essential items, there are also many pieces of sea-themed art throughout the facility, which would appeal to anyone. Throughout the park, especially in the Seabird Aviary and near the seal & sea lion exhibit, there are lots of benches to sit upon and relax, watching the sealife fly or swim by.

Score: 7

5. Education

Not much to say here. As with most aquariums, signage stresses sustainability of certain species, especially rockfish native to the Pacific coast. A certain theme of keeping estuaries clean and healthy is common throughout the park. There are many school-related programs to ensure local kids know what to do keep the Oregon coast pristine.

Score: 7.5

6. Interaction

The first building contains a touch pool, which is home to starfish, sea anemones, and other small, tidepool-living creatures. Other possibilities include the seabird walkthrough aviary, which contains six species: American black oystercatched, commom murre, horned puffin, pigeon guillemot, rhinoceros auklet and tufted puffin. The aviary has very little foliage, but still provides a scenic exhibition to see these species, which otherwise are not always easy to see in the wild. Guests, if they pay a little extra, can actually prepare food for the park’s seabirds, pinnepeds, sea otters and giant Pacific octopus in the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s animal kitchen. Certified scuba divers can actually dive the aquarium, swimming amongst sturgeon, rockfish, skates and sharks in Passages of the Deep. Finally, again, in Passages of the Deep, there are several programs that allow guests to spend the night at the aquarium, sleeping underneath the underwater tunnel and below cruising sealife.

Score: 8

Total Score: 7.7

Often called one of America’s top aquariums, Oregon Coast offers a wonderful place to visit in an already interesting city, and an experience unmatched by any similar-sized facility. Not much could be done to make the aquarium any better than it already is, except perhaps the exhibition of more shorebird species. However, the one-and-a-half to two hours it takes to thoroughly enjoy the facility will not be wasted, and if anyone is ever in the are, they should definitly visit.

Andrew, 16/05/2014