By Oregon Coast TODAY
Two central Oregon coast institutions are celebrating World Ocean Day with special activities Sunday, June 8.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is hosting its World Ocean Day celebration with marine-themed activities, art performances and displays highlighting community partners from across Lincoln County.
“World Ocean Day is an awesome opportunity to appreciate and reflect on our connection to and reliance on the ocean,” said education manager Marina Astin. “We are excited to celebrate with the community and inspire visitors to take action for our ocean.”
The annual event is celebrated by organizations across the world. The global theme of World Ocean Day 2025 is “Catalyzing Action for Our Ocean and Climate.”
Alongside the aquarium’s typical animal feeds and presentations, educational activities will take place throughout the day, and representatives from Cape Perpetua Collaborative, Oregon Shores, the Elakha Alliance, Cetacean Society, Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve and more will be at the aquarium to answer questions and share their conservation work.
Guests can also enjoy two outdoor performance pieces from Emerald Curtain Collective, an organization that aims to inspire awareness and action through art. Both pieces will be exploring ocean vitality and human impact, with “2100” running from 3:15-3:30 p.m. and “Amount” from 4-4:30 p.m.
Visitors will also be able to explore the aquarium’s new temporary Washed Ashore exhibit, which features larger-than-life sculptures of marine creatures and the threats they face. Each sculpture is made entirely of debris collected from ocean beaches, with the goal of raising awareness about plastic pollution and catalyzing action.
Lincoln County residents – with proof of address – can enter the aquarium for $5 on Sundays.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the aquarium, 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Road, Newport.
At Hatfield
Just down the road, the Hatfield Marine Science Center will also celebrate World Ocean Day on Sunday with two performances of the Emerald Curtain Collective’s Puppet Theatre experience “Threads of Light,” a tale of nets, fish and the bright ideas that changed everything.
This year’s World Ocean Day theme for the center is “Sustainable Fishing Means More,” and the collective is combining original live music with collaborative art and puppetry to honor the partnership between hake fishermen, scientists and net-builders Sarah and John Skamser of Foulweather Trawl. Their innovative collaboration helped the Pacific hake fishing industry become sustainable and stay open by minimizing salmon bycatch for the past 15 years.
The shows will begin at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the center, at 2030 S.E. Marine Science Drive.
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