Date of visit: December 4th, 2013.
Portland Aquarium’s website:
Portland Aquarium | Sea to Believe
Portland Aquarium opened in late 2012 and it is one of at least 50 new aquariums to open in North America in the past 25 years. The owners are also involved with the Idaho Aquarium in Boise and there are some parallels between the two facilities in terms of the quality of the exhibits and the general layout of the establishment. Portland Aquarium is within a building that used to be a restaurant and thus it is not very large and takes no more than 45 minutes to tour. There is a “homemade” feel to many of the signs, graphics and exhibits, and while the staff are friendly and accommodating (even giving me a mini behind-the-scenes tour) there is the sense that they are fighting against financial insecurity.
A large portion of the signs in the aquarium are electronic, and with several species in certain tanks it requires a level of patience from visitors to sit and wait for the screen to change. Dallas World Aquarium now has a new contender for its throne of a facility having the absolute worst signage that could possibly be imagined. Many of the signs in Portland change at such a rapid rate that it is difficult to read the name of the species and the 3 key points about the animal before the next screen comes up, so if one wishes to read all of the information provided then they must stand in one spot looking at a screen for many minutes. There is one section in particular (which also exists at the Dallas establishment) where a single screen flashes images for a series of 5 tanks. Visitors have to go back and forth seeing what animal matches up with the quickly-flashing images on the screen, and so what naturally occurs is that no one bothers and the screens end up being a colossal waste of space and money.
The quick tour begins and ends in the obligatory gift shop, and the first room features two very impressive tanks (one in the shape of a boat’s hull) with a long list of tropical fish swimming around in open-topped exhibits. There is underwater viewing and a nice rocky outcrop around both of the 4-foot high tanks, but the moving screens with details of the occupants were so infuriating that I decided not to spend half an hour of my life going from tank to tank and waiting at each one for several minutes just to get a list of the exotic species. The room also has a few jewel tanks that are small and unobtrusive, as well as an actual boat with a touch tank inside of it. That clever idea seems to be a hit with young kids as they lean in to handle a starfish, and other exhibits featured a Green Moray Eel, Tiger Reef Eel, Tessellata Moray Eel and Red Lionfish.
A darkened room is up next, with a simulated cave environment and atrocious signage. A couple of Chambered Nautilus were a delight to see as they are rarely exhibited in American aquariums; a colourful reef tank stood out in the dimly lit darkness; Moon Jellyfish in various growth phases were iridescent in the gloom; and a Pacific Octopus tank is small with only a few rocks and starfish in one corner. The next room has a single large tank with a Wolf Eel and a handful of local fish that can be found off of the coast of Oregon. However, with penguin and seal statues on the rocks and the large size of the exhibit it seems as if the enclosure was originally designed for puffins. The Idaho Aquarium, operated by the same family, has a strikingly similar setup and the huge mural of puffins in the Portland Aquarium makes it seem possible that puffins could be acquired in the future.
The star attraction in the entire facility is surely the large touch tank that dominates the central room of the aquarium. A rocky outer wall and low glass partition allow 6 species to swim within reach of visitors: Whitespotted Bamboo Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Bat Ray, Southern Stingray, Lookdown Fish and Yellow Tang. I assume that the sharks are smart enough to glide through the water just out of reach of the grasping hands of toddlers, but the stingrays actually splash water over the edge of the exhibit. Set into the far wall are a series of 7-8 tanks of basic size that include these species: Yellow Seahorse, Potbelly Seahorse, Lined Seahorse, Dragonface Pipefish and Ghost Eel.
Upon leaving the central part of the aquarium a narrow corridor reveals an exhibit that might well include future superstars of the facility: Small-Clawed Otters. At the moment the aquarium is anywhere from 6-12 months away from having otters in its collection but a surprisingly nice enclosure has been finished. A 5-foot pool has a sandy base, a mock-rock slide leads into a smaller water basin, wood chips allow for the smell of sawdust to pervade the air, a large log is situated directly above a glass mini-tunnel that visitors can enter, and now all that is needed are the otters themselves.
Across from the future otter exhibit is a nicely detailed wall with 6 more tanks with such occupants as a Caribbean Reef Octopus (a true rarity) and Spotted Jellyfish. Green Iguanas and Caiman Lizards are in an exhibit that is open to the public, an African Spurred Tortoise has a disgracefully small enclosure (a tiny green mat and a water bowl); a walk-through Lorikeet aviary is noisy and full of annoying chirps; and some Poison Dart Frogs and some large boas are in side exhibits with very poor signage.
The last section of the aquarium features yet another touch tank, but this one is very low to the ground and aimed at tiny youngsters. It features a small waterfall and a stream, and set across from it are a series of terrariums with these species: Blue-Tongued Skink, Savannah Monitor, Bearded Dragon, Brazilian Rainbow Boa, White’s Tree Frog, Cane Toad and Panther Chameleon. Somewhat surprisingly a couple of Ornate Wobbegongs are in a tank that is far too small for such mid-sized, wonderful-looking fish.
Portland Aquarium is not a very noteworthy aquatic facility, and I’d even rank it below the Sea Life chain as there is a sense of an opportunity missed. With a metropolitan population of over 2 million in Oregon’s largest city, and a zoo that has unbelievable community support, there could have been an aquarium developed that might have competed with the excellent Oregon Coast Aquarium 2 hours further south. Instead, the Portland Aquarium offers up a couple of great touch tanks and 45 minutes of intrigue, but the terrible signage and homemade feel is off-putting and amateurish. Perhaps enough locals will visit to make the facility a viable business as a tourist attraction, but for zoo nerds it is simply a one-time visit and another tick on the lifetime list.
Portland Aquarium’s website:
Portland Aquarium | Sea to Believe
Portland Aquarium opened in late 2012 and it is one of at least 50 new aquariums to open in North America in the past 25 years. The owners are also involved with the Idaho Aquarium in Boise and there are some parallels between the two facilities in terms of the quality of the exhibits and the general layout of the establishment. Portland Aquarium is within a building that used to be a restaurant and thus it is not very large and takes no more than 45 minutes to tour. There is a “homemade” feel to many of the signs, graphics and exhibits, and while the staff are friendly and accommodating (even giving me a mini behind-the-scenes tour) there is the sense that they are fighting against financial insecurity.
A large portion of the signs in the aquarium are electronic, and with several species in certain tanks it requires a level of patience from visitors to sit and wait for the screen to change. Dallas World Aquarium now has a new contender for its throne of a facility having the absolute worst signage that could possibly be imagined. Many of the signs in Portland change at such a rapid rate that it is difficult to read the name of the species and the 3 key points about the animal before the next screen comes up, so if one wishes to read all of the information provided then they must stand in one spot looking at a screen for many minutes. There is one section in particular (which also exists at the Dallas establishment) where a single screen flashes images for a series of 5 tanks. Visitors have to go back and forth seeing what animal matches up with the quickly-flashing images on the screen, and so what naturally occurs is that no one bothers and the screens end up being a colossal waste of space and money.
The quick tour begins and ends in the obligatory gift shop, and the first room features two very impressive tanks (one in the shape of a boat’s hull) with a long list of tropical fish swimming around in open-topped exhibits. There is underwater viewing and a nice rocky outcrop around both of the 4-foot high tanks, but the moving screens with details of the occupants were so infuriating that I decided not to spend half an hour of my life going from tank to tank and waiting at each one for several minutes just to get a list of the exotic species. The room also has a few jewel tanks that are small and unobtrusive, as well as an actual boat with a touch tank inside of it. That clever idea seems to be a hit with young kids as they lean in to handle a starfish, and other exhibits featured a Green Moray Eel, Tiger Reef Eel, Tessellata Moray Eel and Red Lionfish.
A darkened room is up next, with a simulated cave environment and atrocious signage. A couple of Chambered Nautilus were a delight to see as they are rarely exhibited in American aquariums; a colourful reef tank stood out in the dimly lit darkness; Moon Jellyfish in various growth phases were iridescent in the gloom; and a Pacific Octopus tank is small with only a few rocks and starfish in one corner. The next room has a single large tank with a Wolf Eel and a handful of local fish that can be found off of the coast of Oregon. However, with penguin and seal statues on the rocks and the large size of the exhibit it seems as if the enclosure was originally designed for puffins. The Idaho Aquarium, operated by the same family, has a strikingly similar setup and the huge mural of puffins in the Portland Aquarium makes it seem possible that puffins could be acquired in the future.
The star attraction in the entire facility is surely the large touch tank that dominates the central room of the aquarium. A rocky outer wall and low glass partition allow 6 species to swim within reach of visitors: Whitespotted Bamboo Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Bat Ray, Southern Stingray, Lookdown Fish and Yellow Tang. I assume that the sharks are smart enough to glide through the water just out of reach of the grasping hands of toddlers, but the stingrays actually splash water over the edge of the exhibit. Set into the far wall are a series of 7-8 tanks of basic size that include these species: Yellow Seahorse, Potbelly Seahorse, Lined Seahorse, Dragonface Pipefish and Ghost Eel.
Upon leaving the central part of the aquarium a narrow corridor reveals an exhibit that might well include future superstars of the facility: Small-Clawed Otters. At the moment the aquarium is anywhere from 6-12 months away from having otters in its collection but a surprisingly nice enclosure has been finished. A 5-foot pool has a sandy base, a mock-rock slide leads into a smaller water basin, wood chips allow for the smell of sawdust to pervade the air, a large log is situated directly above a glass mini-tunnel that visitors can enter, and now all that is needed are the otters themselves.
Across from the future otter exhibit is a nicely detailed wall with 6 more tanks with such occupants as a Caribbean Reef Octopus (a true rarity) and Spotted Jellyfish. Green Iguanas and Caiman Lizards are in an exhibit that is open to the public, an African Spurred Tortoise has a disgracefully small enclosure (a tiny green mat and a water bowl); a walk-through Lorikeet aviary is noisy and full of annoying chirps; and some Poison Dart Frogs and some large boas are in side exhibits with very poor signage.
The last section of the aquarium features yet another touch tank, but this one is very low to the ground and aimed at tiny youngsters. It features a small waterfall and a stream, and set across from it are a series of terrariums with these species: Blue-Tongued Skink, Savannah Monitor, Bearded Dragon, Brazilian Rainbow Boa, White’s Tree Frog, Cane Toad and Panther Chameleon. Somewhat surprisingly a couple of Ornate Wobbegongs are in a tank that is far too small for such mid-sized, wonderful-looking fish.
Portland Aquarium is not a very noteworthy aquatic facility, and I’d even rank it below the Sea Life chain as there is a sense of an opportunity missed. With a metropolitan population of over 2 million in Oregon’s largest city, and a zoo that has unbelievable community support, there could have been an aquarium developed that might have competed with the excellent Oregon Coast Aquarium 2 hours further south. Instead, the Portland Aquarium offers up a couple of great touch tanks and 45 minutes of intrigue, but the terrible signage and homemade feel is off-putting and amateurish. Perhaps enough locals will visit to make the facility a viable business as a tourist attraction, but for zoo nerds it is simply a one-time visit and another tick on the lifetime list.
I do enjoy visiting somewhere new and there is always a little thrill in touring an establishment for the first time.