Following the closure of Marineland, Canada, in 2024, the future of the animals remaining at the facility has been the subject of considerable discussion and speculation. Reports even suggested that the beluga whales were facing euthanasia after a proposed export to China failed, and a subsequent transfer to Spain was also rumoured not to proceed.
In January this year, news reports confirmed that the Canadian government had conditionally approved a plan to export the remaining captive beluga whales from Marineland to the United States. This raised concerns that the whales could be separated between different facilities and potentially used for breeding programmes.
We have now received confirmation that this export to the United States will proceed under the medical emergency provisions of Section 109(h) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The application to import has been made by SeaWorld of California, SeaWorld of Texas, John G Shedd Aquarium and Georgia Aquarium. We are deeply concerned that the Memorandum of Understanding between the US government and the four facilities (MOU), does not include a commitment to prohibit breeding these belugas. Now that all receiving facilities have been identified, they should refuse to breed them. These whales are genetically predisposed to storage disease – a potentially fatal condition that can be triggered by stress. They are already under immense stress, and the consequences are real: two of the three Mystic whales that died succumbed to storage disease. We are therefore calling for a vital condition of this transfer to be that the whales are not used for breeding purposes.
Apparently, some of the beluga whales are destined for l’Oceanogràfic in Valencia; however, permits from the Spanish government have not yet been received. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.
