Oregon aquarium ventures beyond Keiko era

By Dan De Carbonel
The (Salem) Statesman Journal

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NEWPORT, Ore. — The Oregon Coast Aquarium finds itself at the end of a stormy few years that included a financial crunch, a felony conviction for its former director and a decline in attendance.

Eager to leave that low tide behind — especially the attendance drop — the one-time home of the most famous whale in the world is moving beyond the seas.

"This isn't just about the ocean," said public-relations manager Hugh Dolly.

"It's about the entire ecosystem along the coast, but everything has a tie-in to the water."

Dolly said the aquarium is exploring the inlets and attempting to better tell the story of biology and life along the Oregon coast, from the fish to the tidepools and the river inlets to the vegetation.

Airborne attraction

The aquarium is moving forward with a new attraction about bats, set to open Memorial Day. "Masters of the Night" will have live bats and interactive displays about the myths and truths about the flying mammals.

Other planned additions include a river-otter exhibit, a bald-eagle exhibit and the transformation of one of the exhibit halls into a multisensory tropical rain forest.
 
It wasn't long ago when the aquarium gained world-renown as the home of Keiko, the killer whale who starred in the film "Free Willy."

While Keiko rehabbed at the aquarium from January 1996 to September 1998, more than 2 million people visited. After his departure, attendance dropped.

Keiko's death in December off the Norwegian coast stirred the memories of many former aquarium visitors.

They still look back at the Keiko era as a golden time. Since his departure, attendance, which peaked at more than 1 million visitors annually, has fallen to less than half that. And attendance is 10 percent below the pre-Keiko era.

Smooch a sea lion

To boost interest and revenue, the aquarium has added several opportunities for people to interact with some of the featured animals. For an additional fee, visitors can participate in feeding the animals and even get a kiss from a sea lion or shake the tentacle of a squid.

The aquarium also hosts sleepovers in the "Passages of the Deep" exhibit, allowing kids ages 7 to 13 to literally sleep with the fishes.

Dolly, the public-relations manager, said there are no plans to turn the aquarium into another SeaWorld, with dolphin, killer-whale shows or rides. But the new promotions are aimed at attracting more people, more often.

"We want people to have fun," Dolly said, "but we need to respect these animals and protect their habitat."

Behind-the-scenes tours are now offered on a daily basis.

The need for increased revenues was intensified by financial difficulties that developed during the construction of the "Passages of the Deep" exhibit in 1998.

Initially pegged at $6.7 million, the final bill exceeded $11 million. Then-director Phyllis Bell applied for a $2 million loan to help cover the $4 million gap but did so without board approval.

Bell, who resigned in 2002 when the unauthorized loan was discovered, pleaded guilty in October to a felony charge of forgery and misdemeanor related to the loan.

She was sentenced to eight days in jail and a month of community service.

The resulting financial mess left the aquarium in default on its revenue bonds.

It also left a budget gap that threatened to shutter the doors, which would have put a major dent in the area's tourism business.

The aquarium's board is continuing its efforts to restructure more than $14 million in debt.

Bondholders have agreed to hold off legal action as long as the aquarium continues to make attendance and revenue projections and makes interest payments on the more than $14 million in outstanding bonds.

The aquarium's annual operating budget is $9 million.

Dolly said private donations and a local lodging tax have helped to improve the financial situation, but that the aquarium needs more people to visit more regularly to thrive.

The lack of a big-name new exhibit has hurt attendance, he said.

"People need to know that this isn't just a place to come once a year. Something new is coming in all the time," Dolly said.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company