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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...

Curtain falls on theatrical orca shows at SeaWorld San Diego

This Sunday (8th Jan) will see the end of SeaWorld San Diego’s controversial theatrical orca shows, a move that was announced by the captivity giant (along with an end to orca breeding programmes) last year

The decision came after growing public criticism regarding the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity, which has led to corporate partners walking away, falling profits, and various  scandals in recent years.

The end to breeding means that this generation of captive orcas the last to be kept by SeaWorld, but the company has announced that the orcas currently held captive will remain in their small tanks and form part of a new, more ‘natural encounter’ show, with a rocky coastline and giant digital information screen for the public to see starting this summer.

SeaWorld says that parks in San Antonio and Orlando will follow suit by 2019, but many critics argue that little will change for the orcas who remain confined to a life swimming round and round in tanks. Following the death of Tilikum today, SeaWorld now holds 28 of the 55 orcas currently held in captivity, plus numerous dolphins and belugas captive who still perform tricks for ‘entertainment’.

WDC will continue to work towards the creation of more naturalistic sea pen sanctuaries where captive orcas can be retired.