The aquarium was home to Keiko, the orca who starred in the movie Free Willy, from January 7, 1996, until September 9, 1998, when he was shipped to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.

After early bids were rejected by the aquarium's board of directors,[5] Mountain States Construction was selected to build the first phase for about $12 million in August 1990.

[7] Those in attendance on the first day included Senator Mark O. Hatfield, Governor Barbara Roberts, and Congressmen Mike Kopetski and Les AuCoin.

[8][9] On January 7, 1996, Keiko the orca whale arrived on a United Parcel Service C-130 cargo plane, with freight expenses donated by the company.

[10] This move from Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, came after fund raising by environmentalists and school children to build a $7.8 million habitat for the movie star in Oregon.

Those on display include the seabirds tufted puffin, common murre, rhinoceros auklet, pigeon guillemot, and the shore bird black oystercatcher.

[17][18] The Aquarium has the largest outdoor Seabird Aviary in North America, which is home to tufted and horned puffins, black oystercatchers, common murres, rhinoceros auklets and pigeon guillemots.

[19] The Aquarium is also home to a nature trail that overlooks the Yaquina Bay estuary and features native plants and free-roaming wildlife.