How cold is the water in the aquarium tanks? Where does it come from?
A flow-through life support system is used to maintain most of our aquatic animal exhibits. This water is constantly being pumped into the tanks and an equal volume of water is flowing back out, carrying fish waste back to Yaquina Bay. The HMSC facilities pump water straight from Yaquina Bay into holding tanks during high tide periods. The water is filtered slightly before it enters the Visitor Center. The best part of this system is having a constant supply of sea water on demand and typically at the appropriate temperature to maintain the exhibit animals indigenous to this area. Yaquina Bay water temperature fluctuates between 11oC (51.8o F.) and 16oC (60.8o F).
