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Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...
WDC Seal Rescue April 2023 (1)

WDC conducts milestone seal rescue in Marshfield

For Immediate Release, April 10, 2023 MARSHFIELD, MA - A young grey seal was found...

The Georgia Aquarium in the US (representing five other marine parks including SeaWorld), has filed an official permit request to import 18 beluga whales captured in the wild over the course of five years. Despite no imports of deliberately captured whales and dolphins for US facilities since 1993, the Georgia Aquarium will receive six of these belugas, and the rest will go to other US facilities.

This request is extremely significant and worrying for a number of reasons. Previous imports of wild-caught whales and dolphins into the US had been “rescues” from inadequate facilities, had resulted from strandings, or were imported after the animals spent decades in captive facilities elsewhere. However, this new permit request represents the direct commissioning of belugas to be captured from the wild.

Until now, captive facilities had  painted their captive populations as self-sustaining, and assembled and maintained without the need to take from the wild.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) refers to the removal of live whales and dolphins from the wild, for captive display and/or research, is equivalent to incidental or deliberate killing, as the animals are no longer available to help maintain their natural populations.

In addition, captivity represents a different form of ‘death’ for these wild animals—a permanent life confined to a concrete pool.

The last captures from the wild in US waters occurred in 1993 when the Shedd Aquarium captured Pacific white-sided dolphins for its display. Captures are violent, and may cause distress, physical harm, and even death to those animals captured and also those left behind.

WDCS will be strenuously fighting these imports into the US.