SEASIDE AQUARIUM

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 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.

An Unusually Happy Ending

Marine Mammal Stranding Network (MMSN) calls usually involve posting signs to keep the public at a safe distance from live animals or recording information about dead mammals that wash ashore. The volunteer work rarely involves any actual rescue, as Oregon’s marine mammal policy is to let nature take its course. However, every once in a while, circumstances change.

On June 8, 2012 park rangers at the Nehalem Bay State Park on Manzanita’s Beach reported a fur seal entangled in a bundle of rope. MMSN responders Keith Chandler and Tiffany Boothe were able to retrieve the animal and disentangle it. The fur seal quickly made its way back to the ocean.

Both Chandler and Boothe are Aquarium employees with experience handling marine mammals. They wore thick gloves and stabilized the animal before attempting to remove the rope. Marine mammals have sharp teeth and can bite, even if caught
injured or entangled. This type of rescue should not be done by the general public.

If you see an ill or injured marine mammal stranded on the beach, the best action is to call the Seaside Aquarium, the local responders for the MMSN. They work with local officials to cover the region from Tillamook Bay to the Long Beach Peninsula.