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© New England Aquarium and Canadian Whale Institute under DFO Canada SARA permit

Scientists unveil new names for 19 North Atlantic right whales

December 6, 2023 - Contact: Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, (508) 451-3853, [email protected] Pam...
© Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Funded by United States Army Corps of Engineers

Birth announcement! First right whale calf of the 2024 calving season spotted

November 29, 2023 - On November 28th, researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute...
© Peter Flood

Two New England-based nonprofits awarded nearly $400k federal grant

© Peter Flood November 20, 2023 - Contact: Jake O'Neill, Conservation Law Foundation, (617) 850-1709,...
Right whale - Regina WDC

North Atlantic right whale population has stabilized

WDC attends Ropeless Consortium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium WDC was in Canada this...

US aquarium loses court battle to import beluga whales

Georgia Aquarium has lost a legal battle to bring wild caught beluga whales from Russia to the United States.

The Aquarium had been trying to overturn a US federal decision which initially denied its request to import 18 whales captured in Sea of Okhotsk, Russia, on the grounds that the Aquarium had not met conditions required to approve its controversial plan.

That original refusal to allow a permit has now been upheld and delivers a significant blow to the captivity industry in the US. It also offers hope to the beluga whales in the Sea of Okhotsk as live capture for public display is one of the most serious threats facing this population.

WDC was one of several official intervening parties present at the recent court hearings in August, and assisted with briefings supporting the case to deny the Georgia Aquarium’s permit application.

SeaWorld, as part of a breeding consortium that includes Georgia Aquarium, planned to acquire the majority of these belugas. However, in an interesting twist earlier this month, SeaWorld issued a statement that it was no longer interested in taking the belugas.

Beluga whale