Marine Connection welcomes the news that wild orcas and beluga whales in Russian waters will remain wild and safe until at least 2023. Captures of these cetacean species for the public display industry was suspended in 2019, and the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery recently confirmed that the ban has now been extended until 2023 including for scientific, cultural and educational purposes which is a positive step forward but we will continue the fight for a permanent ban.
The issue of determining the catch limits for marine mammals including whales was discussed as part of the consideration of the total allowable catches (TAC) for 2022 at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Fishery Research Institutes. The head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, Ilya Shestakov, emphasized that TACs for belugas and killer whales will not be established this year or next for any purpose. The decision was made in connection with the ongoing work to amend the regulatory legal framework with regards to future wild captures of whales in Russian waters for export to countries such as China.
Marine Connection recently contacted Svetlana Bessar, the Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation with regards to a bill she has introduced asking for a total ban on wild captures of orcas and beluga whales in the country which we are fully supporting as wild captures must not be allowed in 2023 and beyond. We need your support to end cruel captures of cetaceans, not only in Russia but Japan, Cuba and other countries around the world where a market for these marine mammals still exists.
