Seaside Aquarium LOGO

SEASIDE AQUARIUM

FEED THE SEALS

Control the Aquarium Cam!




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About the Seaside Aquarium


When the aquarium was founded in 1937, the goal was mostly to entertain the public. The dark interior was meant to create the feeling of swimming through an ocean cave at a time when respiration-aided diving was virtually unknown.

In the past several years, the focus has shifted to include education and community involvement as well as entertainment. We have reached beyond the walls of the actual building to participate in local events and projects geared toward a better understanding and appreciation of the North Coast marine environment.

In 1995, we became leaders in the regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network. In the next few years we added an Interpretive Center and helped start Seaside’s Watershed Estuary Beach Discovery Program. We have partnered with local businesses, non-profit organizations, and the City of Seaside to inform both visitors and local communities about beach safety, tides, different coastal habitats, and the animals who live there.

Kids at the Touch Tank


Humboldt Squid closeup Humboldt Squid Held By Aquarium Staff

Squid Collection


This December a large number of Humboldt Squid washed ashore in the Seaside area. Aquarium staff counted more than eighty squid on the Seaside beach alone, ranging in length from three to five feet. Humboldt squid normally live below 600 feet and are more common in Mexico/Southern California. Specimens were collected and frozen for a local high school and for the Seattle Aquarium. Staff in Seattle are interested in the squid DNA and clues to their appearances this far north in the past few years.

One person’s debris is another’s treasure...


Winter beachcombing is a time-honored tradition. Whereas most beachcombers look for floats or sand dollars, Aquarium staff go looking for specimens and food. Debris that others would pass by is often the most exciting. Bull kelp that washes ashore is harvested to feed sea urchins, wood with mussels or barnacles attached is collected for display, and clumps of sea grass and seaweed are searched for treasures. Small crabs, barnacle clusters, skate egg cases, and other treasures often become tangled in the grass as it rolls through the ocean.

This collecting trip, we found some great decorator and cancer crabs, which are now on display in our tanks.

Aquarium staff and volunteer
beachcombers dig through debris

Beach Combers
Beach Debris

Unusual treasure at the end of the
rainbow


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Stay connected:

  Twitter @FeedTheSeals Facebook @SeasideAquarium
Seaside Aquarium, 200 North Prom, Seaside, Oregon 97138 Tel: (503) 738-6211.