Aquarium News

Sea Otter Observation Leads to Seal Rescue Operation

February 16, 2023

Date: Saturday, January 7 Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA state Weather: high winds, heavy rain What began as a sea otter observation excursion turned into a seal rescue operation after Brittany Blades, OCAq’s Curator of Marine Mammals, heard distressed cries nearby. Blades peered through the fog and pelting rain, trying to find the source of the […]

Juvenile Humpback Whale Strands on Oregon Coast

August 21, 2019

Newport, Oregon— A 20’ juvenile humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore north of the Alsea River near Waldport on Wednesday, August 14 was euthanized. A team organized by the Oregon State University-based Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network (OMMSN), including the Oregon Coast Aquarium and in collaboration with the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, […]

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is Going LIVE in 3..2..1..

July 17, 2019

Newport, Oregon— The Oregon Coast Aquarium is excited to announce the installation of three new live cameras: The Shark Cam, the Seabird Cam, and the Otter Cam. Each of the cameras have their own unique features so that viewers can control the direction and zoom of the camera, listen to the birds in the aviary, […]

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Juvenile Brown Pelican Found Snared by Fishing Hook and Line

June 18, 2019

Newport, Oregon—The Oregon Coast Aquarium admitted a juvenile brown pelican Thursday night that was found snared in a fishing hook and line. Civilians transferred the large bird to the Aquarium after finding it severely entangled and in distress at Devil’s Punchbowl State Park. Upon receiving the pelican, Aquarium Bird Staff immediately began triage to assess […]

The “Blue Tide” is Upon Us…

May 31, 2019

Newport, Oregon— The “Blue Tide” is upon us, as beaches all along the Oregon coast are strewn with an aquamarine layer of jelly-like organisms especially apparent at low tide. These are the innumerable bodies of by-the-wind sailors, formally known as Velella velella, and their strandings are a regular, yet fascinating late spring phenomenon in coastal […]

Active Recovery Efforts and Beach Restrictions Help Endangered Snowy Plovers

May 8, 2019

Newport, Oregon – On Thursday, May 2, the Oregon Coast Aquarium treated an injured female Western snowy plover found at a plover nesting site in Oregon Dunes Overlook. Researchers with the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC) at Portland State University identified and captured the endangered bird on Thursday while conducting nest surveys in the sand […]

Oregon Coast Aquarium and SAGE to Host The Future of Our Oceans with Dr. Sylvia Earle

May 7, 2019

Newport, Oregon – The Oregon Coast Aquarium and SAGE will co-host The Future of Our Oceans with renowned marine biologist, oceanographer and author, Dr. Sylvia Earle, on Sunday, May 19th at the Portland State University Viking Pavilion. Dr. Sylvia Earle will speak about the state of our ocean, the protection of biodiversity and how we […]

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Oregon Coast Aquarium to Build Forest-Themed Children’s Nature Playspace – Happy Arbor Day!

April 26, 2019

Newport, Oregon—The Oregon Coast Aquarium plans to build a new forestry-themed children’s nature playspace thanks to a generous one million dollar pledge from Starker Forests, Inc. The Aquarium was built on a mill site in Yaquina Bay, and so the nature playspace will pay homage to its historic origins in the timber industry. Climbing features, […]

Aquarium Youth Team Places Sixth at National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Washington D.C.

April 17, 2019

Newport, Oregon— The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s youth team, “Nerdi Nautili,” placed sixth at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) in Washington D.C. this past weekend. The Aquarium team earned the chance to compete against twenty-four teams from across the country after placing first at the regional Salmon Bowl for the second year in a row […]

Aquarium Youth Team Place First at Salmon Bowl for Second Year in a Row

February 7, 2019

Newport, Oregon— The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s youth team, “Nerdi Nautili,” placed first at the Salmon Bowl for the second year in a row this past weekend. The win earned each of the five high school students, Genevieve Coblentz-Strong, Abbey DuBois, Noah Goodwin-Rice, Noah King-Groh, and Jeremy Schaffer, thousand dollar scholarships to Oregon State University (OSU). […]