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5 beluga whales flown from Canada make a splash at new home in Mystic

Taylor Hartz - May 15, 2021

In the glow of the moonlight late Friday night, a flash of bright white wriggled against the dark sky — a young beluga whale named Jetta, being lifted by a crane.

Jetta and two other belugas from Canada flew into Groton-New London airport on a private plane Friday afternoon and received a police escort to their new home: Mystic Aquarium. Two more whales caught the next flight out and made the same journey early Saturday.

The whales, all between 5 and 6 years old, were brought to Mystic from Marineland in Ontario, Canada, where they were living in an overcrowded tank with 47 other beluga whales.

Mystic Aquarium has been involved in a yearslong process of moving the whales to their spacious new home, the Arctic Coast habitat, joining the aquarium’s three resident belugas: Juno, an 18-year-old male; Natasha, a 41-year-old female; and Kela, a 40-year-old female. Their goal is to work with the whales to pioneer new research methods that will help protect and save wild beluga populations.

“These animals are really, truly ambassadors for their wild counterparts,” said Allison Tuttle, vice president of biological programs at Mystic Aquarium, who traveled to Canada and flew back with two of the whales.

The whales will be a part of non-invasive research at the aquarium that is meant to help with conservation efforts to protect wild belugas. The decision to transport the whales to Mystic from Canada has been a controversial one, however, with many animal rights groups speaking out against the move. The Canadian government this past week approved a permit that allowed the transport to move forward.

Jetta was joined on Friday by travel companions Havana and Kharabali, both females, on the flight from Hamilton International Airport to Groton. After some delays, the plane touched down about 5:45 p.m. and the whales — kept in large, open-air cargo containers filled with water — were loaded off the plane and onto the flatbeds of three waiting trucks.

It took about 2½ hours to fly the first three whales from the Niagara Falls area to Groton and another three to four hours to get them each from the tarmac to the tank. Jetta is 762 pounds and 10 feet 2.8 inches long, Havana is 924 pounds and 10 feet 3.6 inches, and Kharabali is 818 pounds and 10 feet 7.6 inches.

The last two whales, Havok and Sahara, arrived at Hamilton airport about 6 p.m. and had not yet landed in Groton as of 2 a.m.

Held in hammock-like holders inside their containers — with cut-outs on the sides for their fins — the whales made their journey in a C-130 cargo aircraft operated by Lynden Air Cargo with a team of aquarium staff members that included veterinarians and zoologists. They were met at the airport by local police, state police and agents from Customs and Border Control.

Accompanied by a police escort, three flatbed trucks with the large blue cargo containers fastened on the back, each carrying a beluga, made their way from the airport to the aquarium about 9 p.m. to deliver the first three whales. A few dozen employees and volunteers from Mystic Aquarium, clad in bright blue hardhats, stood under a tall crane and applauded as the trucks rolled into the parking lot. When all three vehicles had parked, the employees and volunteers quickly rushed over to start the process of getting the whales safely into their new habitat.

One by one, the whales were lifted out of their cargo containers by a crane, their fins and flukes flapping as water dripped down onto the pavement. They were gently placed onto a rolling cart, which was pushed speedily across the parking lot and into the Arctic Coast habitat, where another crane waited to place the whales into the pool.

The Arctic Coast habitat is a 750,000 gallon pool — large enough to fill Gillette Stadium — broken up into three separate sections. The whales were first released into the medical area, then allowed to swim into the holding area where the trio swam in circles together, cresting the surface and spouting water from their blow holes.

The whales, who are not yet fully grown, will live at the aquarium for at least five years. They will be a part of studies that will help scientists better understand why belugas — especially those living in Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska — are endangered.

Tuttle said one of the things they’ll be studying is how whales respond to sound. Due to climate change, she said, ships are traveling through Arctic channels that were previously blocked by ice. It’s unclear now how whales that live in these waters will be impacted by the sounds those ships make. The belugas in Mystic will be safely tested to see how they respond when exposed to such sounds in a controlled way that doesn’t stress or scare them.

The whales also will be trained to provide biological samples, including blood, saliva from their blow holes and feces, which will help scientists collect more data on beluga whale health in a safe, non-invasive way.

"This will allow us to study animals in the wild without handling them," Tuttle said. "This is very important work that will allow us to conduct important research about these animals in the wild."

Right now, she said, blood tests are the “gold standard” for determining if an animal is healthy in the wild, but it isn’t always easy to obtain a sample from a wild animal.

The studies were built off framework released by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which published a list of things it would be helpful to know about beluga whales. The team at the aquarium took parts of that list and developed plans to collect data that would help NOAA in its efforts.

“It feels really exciting to be able to continue research that not only expands the body of scientific knowledge we have but also will help us protect endangered populations of these animals,” Tuttle said.

Animal rights groups in opposition

Several animal rights organizations that petitioned Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans to reconsider issuing the export permit request. The groups say the transport violated the intent of a 2019 Canadian law meant to phase out the captivity of whales by banning their breeding.

The organization Last Chance for Animals asked the Canadian government to deny the permit, saying the transfer would violate the law in addition to endangering the animals. They also said that the lengthy transfer would be stressful and would result in the animals breaking social bonds with other belugas at Marineland.

The organization issued a statement Friday condemning the transfer.

“The (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau government promised to protect the whales under the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, and now they are betraying the whales and exporting their commitment. What they are ending is their commitment toward protecting these whales,” LCA's Canadian attorney Miranda Desa said.

According to Daniel Pesquera from the aquarium's Boston-based public relations firm, Regan Communications, moving the animals was in the best interest of the five whales and their species.

“The import permit is partly to get them into a situation where they’ll be in a better habitat with more individualized care,” he said. “And also to get them into a habitat that’s especially designed for research on beluga whales that will help larger populations of whales in the wild.”

The whales were monitored before, during and after the transport by teams of specialists who were tracking not only their physical condition, but their emotional well-being, aquarium President and CEO Stephen Coan said. The teams on the plane monitored their breathing, heart rates and hormones, he said, adding that the animals’ stress and well-being is always a concern.

“If we weren’t concerned about that, we’d be irresponsible,” he said.

After the first flight landed, Tuttle said Jetta, Havana and Kharabali “were doing really well” and arrived happy and healthy.

She noted Friday’s transport was an exciting, invigorating culmination of years of work.

She also stressed that all five of the whales were born and raised in captivity and that because of that, releasing them into the wild was not an option. They never learned to survive in the wild or hunt for food and would likely die if set free in the ocean.

Mystic Aquarium, Tuttle and Cohen said, does not condone the capture of wild animals and had no plans to breed more belugas to be born in captivity.

One of the conditions of the permit being granted was that procreation among the whales must be prohibited. Coan said the aquarium has developed a complex plan to prevent the whales from breeding, including tracking the female whales’ ovulation cycles and separating them from the males during those times.

Coan said that Mystic Aquarium doesn't have plans to rehome any more of the belugas currently living at Marineland, but plans to continue communication and offer support to the theme park as it moves forward with what is best for all the whales in its care.

The five new whales in Mystic will be introduced to their new roommates — the aquarium’s three resident belugas — at their own pace. The animals will see one another through plexiglass barriers at first as the new whales acclimate to their surroundings. They also will be able to communicate while they remain separated. Then, they’ll slowly be introduced into living in the same waters.

It’s not yet clear when aquarium visitors will be able to see the new whales.

“The answer is that the animals are going to tell us when they’re ready (to be in the same pool),” Tuttle said. “Sometimes they get comfortable much more quickly than we think, other times it takes a little longer. But our priority is what is best for the animals, we want to make sure they’re happy in their new home at Mystic Aquarium.”

#news #captivity #cetacean #whale #beluga #transfer #mystic aquarium #marineland canada

[csnews]

Southern resident orca pod in best condition in decade

Lynda V. Mapes - May 8, 2021

There is some cause for cautious optimism for the southern resident killer whales that frequent Puget Sound

She was a mother who happened to be an orca, whose plight resonated around the world as she clung to her dead calf, refusing to let it go. Mother orca Tahlequah, J35, brought front and center the extinction crisis threatening the southern resident killer whales that frequent Puget Sound. There are only 75 left. She swam through the Salish Sea for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles in the summer of 2018, in what many interpreted as a journey of grief. It’s possible she never let the calf go; when it was last photographed by scientists at the Center for Whale Research, the calf was falling apart.

But on this Mother’s Day, there is some cause for cautious optimism for some of the most famous mothers in our region, on whom the future of this fragile population of orcas depends. Since Tahlequah lost her calf that lived only one half-hour, she has birthed another, J57, a male born in September 2020 — and still going strong. Two more calves also have been born to J pod, J56, a female born in 2019, and J58, a female born in 2020.

"There are signs for optimism; in general over the last several years J pod is in better condition than in much of the last decade," John Durban, professor at Oregon State University told The Seattle Times. He's also a research associate with an orca health monitoring project led by Holly Fearnbach of SR3, a science and research and marine mammal rescue nonprofit. Using a drone flown more than 100 feet above the whales, they take photographs to document the orcas’ body condition. And lately, what they are seeing in J pod generally is an improvement.

“There is hope in our images,” Durban said. “But it is fragile.”

After all, the region was celebrating a baby boom of southern residents in 2015 with five births — but three of those calves and two of the mothers subsequently died. By the summer of 2018, J50, not even 4 years old, was wasting away, spurring an attempt at an international rescue effort, even as mother orca Tahlequah was clinging to her dead calf. But since then a birth to L pod, L124 born in May 2019, and L125, born in February 2021, as well as the three J pod calves, have given the region something to root for: not only the new orca babies but also their moms.

To a greater degree than in many other animals, including humans, the southern resident orcas put family first. Their society is matriarchal, with the pods led by grandmothers and mothers. Every baby brings both hope and risk for the population, as the mother undergoes the most costly and risky stage of her life, carrying, birthing and nursing her baby. Published peer-reviewed research led by Sam Wasser at the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington has found two-thirds of southern resident orca pregnancies are lost because of nutritional stress. The southern residents eat primarily chinook salmon, which mostly are in decline throughout the orcas’ foraging range.

The sharing never stops; orca moms care for their young lifelong. When adult male orcas lose their mother their own chances at survival are diminished. “He has a higher chance of mortality, even in the prime of life,” Durban said. “Some of that may be emotional, but it is also direct for support from their mothers they are dependent on.”

Orca society is one of the few animal communities on Earth, in addition to humans, in which mothers persist decades into their post-reproductive years. These grandmother orcas play a crucial role in the pods, with the ecological knowledge they carry of where to find fish, particularly when times are lean. L25 is the oldest orca grandmother left. Durban and Fearnbach last photographed her last September. In 2019, she also was photographed by whale watchers all the way down south of San Francisco — where she had taken her family to fish for chinook. Born in about 1928, L25 learned the foraging routes of the southern residents from her grandmother — in a time before many of the major dams in the Northwest were built and the Columbia and Lower Snake rivers were still free-flowing — and when winter chinook, unique in the world, were still abundant in California’s Sacramento River.

She knew an environment of cleaner, quieter, more abundant waters.L25, J35 and the other orca grandmothers and mothers still work to feed their extended families, now in a vastly changed world. Today two of the 10 most endangered animals protected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are the southern resident orcas and California winter chinook. Twin monarchs, in a struggle for survival. Yet there is hope.

“We are encouraged that in the last two years J pod has in general been in better body condition than over much of the last decade,” Durban said. “We hope it continues and these calves can thrive. Every calf counts in a population this small.”

#news #wild #orca #killer whale #cetacean #whale #dolphin #srkw #conservation

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The injured baby whale that was lost in London's Thames river was euthanized after being stranded for the second time

Sarah Al-Arshani - May 11, 2021

The injured whale calf that went missing for the second time after rescuers freed it from being trapped in the London's Thames River on Sunday has been euthanized. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue said in a statement that the young 13-foot-long minke whale was "humanely put to sleep" after its condition deteriorated throughout the day.

"Medics used inflatable pontoons to prevent the animal from slipping back into the river, which allowed the veterinary team from the Zoological Society of London to further assess the animal and end its suffering," the statement read. The whale was rescued on Sunday and brought to another location but officials said they lost sight of it overnight.

At the time, a spokesperson for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution told The Guardian that the whale was "displaying concerning behaviors," and there was worry it could be "unwell." Officials found the whale again on Monday against the river wall and were concerned that it could become beached again, CNN reported.

BDMLR said the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme would conduct a post-mortem exam to get a better understanding of why the young whale fell into poor condition and became lost in the river.

#news #wild #death #whale #stranding #thames #cetacean

[csnews]

Sharing Life and Loss Together

Peggy Sloan - May 11, 2021

It is our privilege to share in moments of celebration, and loss, together with you.

Sagu, a spirited male Pacific white-sided dolphin whose name means “joy,” took ill just over a week ago. Through the exceptional leadership of our Animal Health team and additional expert consultation from professionals across the country, Sagu was diagnosed with an untreatable condition. Known technically as intussusception, which occurs when part of the intestine telescopes upon itself restricting passage of food, it is a rare condition, and its cause is unclear.

Our team, along with expert partners, addressed Sagu’s condition with an unprecedented emergency surgery last Thursday in an effort to give the dolphin every chance possible to survive. Sadly, the damage caused by infection related to the condition left Sagu unable to recover from surgery.

We are so grateful to the team of truly dedicated animal care professionals and experts who did everything within their power to save Sagu. We are also so fortunate to have had the opportunity to care for him for his entire life and to share his spirited personality with millions of guests, inspiring them to better understand and protect our blue planet.

—Peggy Sloan, Chief Animal Operations Officer

#news #death #dolphin #cetacean #captivity #sheddaquarium

[csnews]

Loro Parque’s Statement

Loro Parque - April 24, 2021

Dear friends of Loro Parque,

With only a few days left before we reopen our doors after such a difficult year, we want to share with you our concern for Ula, the youngest member of the Orca Ocean family.

During the last days, her mood has deteriorated and continues to decline. She is showing signs of an intestinal problem, although none of the tests that our veterinarians have realized since the first moment have given any concrete indications, and her blood test has not demonstrated any apparent signs of an infectious process. Nonetheless, and in a preventive way, she has been transferred to the medical pool where she is receiving treatment that ensures her comfort while being attended by her care givers and the veterinary team during 24 hours.

In this situation, Loro Parque has contacted the best international specialists in cetaceans, who have not hesitated to come to her aid and are currently carrying out specific diagnoses in order to identify the cause of this intestinal pathology. We confide in their expertise and are sure that soon we will have more clarity about what is going on with our little Ula so that we can help her to recover as soon as possible.

The rest of the orca family is doing well and we hope that Ula recovers soon and can reunited with the group.

[csnews]

Researchers monitor gray whale that could be sick from tracking tag

Lynda V. Mapes - April 13, 2021

A team of marine mammal biologists and veterinarians from the United States and Canada is treating and monitoring a gray whale that appears to have developed an infection several months after being darted with a satellite tracking tag.

The whale is part of a group of about 250 gray whales that feed off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the summer. The whale is now off the coast of Vancouver Island and appears robust and to be behaving normally.

But experts became concerned when a contractor for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries on March 16 photographed the whale in Barkley Sound, B.C., and reported a lesion around the tagging site and two lesions on the opposite side of the animal.

The whale also has been coughing up mucus, and so the decision was made to dart the whale with antibiotics on March 31 and April 1, to stave off any kind of systemic infection, said Martin Haulena, veterinarian for the Vancouver Aquarium, a member of the response team.

Experts on a media call coordinated by NOAA on Tuesday said the animal will continue to be monitored.

Tagging provides essential information for biologists seeking to understand the movements and population dynamics of animals and, in this case, to also understand where those movements overlap with people, such as shipping lanes.A team of marine mammal biologists and veterinarians from the United States and Canada is treating and monitoring a gray whale that appears to have developed an infection several months after being darted with a satellite tracking tag.

The whale is part of a group of about 250 gray whales that feed off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia during the summer. The whale is now off the coast of Vancouver Island and appears robust and to be behaving normally.

But experts became concerned when a contractor for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries on March 16 photographed the whale in Barkley Sound, B.C., and reported a lesion around the tagging site and two lesions on the opposite side of the animal.

The whale also has been coughing up mucus, and so the decision was made to dart the whale with antibiotics on March 31 and April 1, to stave off any kind of systemic infection, said Martin Haulena, veterinarian for the Vancouver Aquarium, a member of the response team.

Experts on a media call coordinated by NOAA on Tuesday said the animal will continue to be monitored.

Tagging provides essential information for biologists seeking to understand the movements and population dynamics of animals and, in this case, to also understand where those movements overlap with people, such as shipping lanes.

The satellite tag used on the whale is about 11 inches long and weighs about 14 ounces, said Alex Zerbini, a tagging expert at the University of Washington/Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Studies and a NOAA Fisheries affiliate. The tag is carried in the body of the whale, transmitting data, until the whale naturally sloughs it off, much as we would a splinter. The process takes anywhere from several months to years.

The consensus of a panel of experts examining photos of the lesions around the tag site was that the lesions are within the range of reaction that would be expected as the body extrudes the tag. However, it was unusual compared with other records of similarly tagged whales.

In addition to administering antibiotics, scientists took breath-droplet samples for analysis. It could take weeks for those cultures to grow out.

The tags are used in whales worldwide with one exception: endangered southern resident killer whales, after the death of orca L95 in 2016, several weeks after the orca was tagged.

A necropsy of the orca found pieces of the tag broken off deep within the animal’s flesh and a fungal infection, said Stephen Raverty, another member of the gray whale response team, and veterinary pathologist for the Animal Health Center at the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and University of British Columbia.

The pathogen likely was introduced by the tag, which had not been sterilized properly, an expert review panel found.

There was no breach of protocol in the tagging of the gray whale. The hope is that once the animal extrudes the tag on its own, the lesions will heal normally.

The purpose of the tagging study is to learn more about a small group of about 250 gray whales that comprise the Pacific Coast Feeding Group. Unlike most gray whales, they do not make the long migration along the West Coast of North America from wintering and calving areas off the coast of Baja California, Mexico to summer feeding grounds in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas.

After being hunted nearly to extinction, today the population of gray whales in the northeastern Pacific is considered strong at about 20,000 whales. The mighty grays, measuring about 39 feet long and weighing about 60,000 pounds, were taken off the U.S. Endangered Species Act list of protected species in 1994. They are still protected from hunting and harassment under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, passed in 1972.

#news #wild #whale #cetacean #gray whale #research

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Museum exhibit showcases wonder, challenges facing orcas

Darron Kloster - March 28, 2021

He was known as Ruffles and numbered J1. The big male orca, named for his tall jagged dorsal fin, was one of the first southern resident killer whales identified by scientists in J-Pod in the 1970s. The nine-metre J1 lived a full life, fathering at least 16 calves in all three southern resident pods — J, K and L. Twelve of them are still alive and his legacy continues with 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Ruffles was estimated to be 60 when he disappeared in 2010 and was presumed dead. But the mighty orca lives on. He’s one of three life-size replicas going on display at the Royal British Columbia Museum’s feature exhibition Orcas: Our Shared Future, which opens April 16 and runs to January 2022.

The event was cancelled last year due to pandemic restrictions, but is back on track during a critical time for the beloved but struggling marine mammals. Southern resident orcas now number 75 after three births over the past six months, but their struggle for food, chiefly chinook salmon, continues.

Gavin Hanke, curator for vertebrate zoology at the Royal B.C. Museum and one of the chief scientists behind the exhibit, said people have developed a kinship with the resident orcas, as the various family groups navigate an increasingly complex world of food supply, pollution, toxins and marine traffic that interfere with communication in their traditional areas.

“People love wolves and grizzly bears, too, and the Biggs [transient] orcas, but they are not coded, named and recognized as individuals,” Hanke said. “The residents are like people. They have names, families, history and that’s what’s so great to see. These are highly intelligent animals and we should appreciate them.”

The three replica orcas also include Slick, or J16, at 49 the oldest female in J-Pod who is still swimming the Salish Sea, and her daughter, Scarlett, or J-50. Scarlett, who died in 2018, made international headlines when the three-year-old was discovered severely underweight. Scientists from Canada and the U.S. tried to feed her salmon and administered antibiotic darts, attempting a capture to provide medical assistance.

Hanke said the replica models were created using years of photographs and measurements taken from drone video. The exhibit also contains the skeletal remains of J-32, or Rhapsody, an 18-year-old pregnant juvenile found dead near Comox in 2014.

Necropsy results indicated Rhapsody died from an infection linked to her near-term fetus. Her body was filled with toxic contaminants often found stored in orcas’ and whales’ blubber, said Hanke.

“The organs, blubber and muscle had to be disposed of in the landfill, in the toxic-waste section, because of the contaminants in her body,” said Hanke.

Rhapsody’s story and skeletal remains — as well as those of her fetus — will be a centrepiece of the museum’s display and bring attention to the plight of the southern residents, said Hanke.

“Her story personally changed me,” said Hanke. “She was eating salmon for 18 years with toxic waste. I gave up fishing, try to grow most of my own food. We drive an electric car now.”

Fewer boats on the water during the pandemic have likely helped the orcas, improving echolocation techniques in finding food. For orcas, heavy boat and freighter traffic is like “being in a pub that’s super noisy. You almost have to yell to be heard,” said Hanke.

He said many whale-watching companies are being responsible and keeping their distance. There are also boaters who are converting to electric motors, and whale-watching land observation posts are being developed.

“A partner in the exhibition, Eagle Wing Tours, often takes people out to view the transient orcas, as opposed to the southern residents,” said Hanke.

The museum’s exhibition is taking a deep dive into the stories and science that surround the apex predator of the oceans. Visitors can explore ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a deeper understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

“This is a timely and challenging story — and one that we are uniquely qualified to tell,” said museum board chair and acting CEO Dr. Daniel Muzyka in a statement. “Our unique collections, curatorial expertise, and physical and emotional proximity to orcas and oceans combine in an edifying and ultimately hopeful experience that affirms we are all part of nature — not apart from nature.”

Among the artifacts on display are rare cultural objects by Indigenous artists, including an articulated dance mask by Richard Hunt (Kwaguilth), an intricately carved gold killer whale box by Bill Reid (Haida), and a commissioned painting by Haida manga artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

The exhibition includes a companion publication that brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists and storytellers. Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art and History is edited by Hanke, Martha Black and Lorne Hammond and available at local bookshops, the Royal Museum Shop and online at rbcm.ca/books.

The exhibition has been designed to travel to other museums during the UNESCO Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The museum is following pandemic safety protocols. To purchase timed tickets, visit rbcm.ca/orcas.

#news #orca #killer whale #cetacean #whale #dolphin #museum #srkw

[csnews]

Galveston fishing group treated to rare killer whale sighting

ABC 13 - March 19, 2021

A fishing trip turned into quite the nature show as rare killer whales appeared in the Gulf. Galveston Party Boats, Inc. shared quite the video of the orcas leaping into the air before splashing back down into the water about 130 miles off the Galveston coast. In a Facebook post, Galveston Party Boats representatives said an excursion had set out for a 30-hour Spring Break fishing trip with customers on March 15 on their New Buccaneer vessel with Captain Matt Smith, who recorded the video. While out on the water, they had quite the haul of 40 yellowfin tuna, 14 blackfin tuna, 281 vermilion snapper and more.

But it was the orcas that appear to have captured the most attention in a video that has been viewed more than 411,000 times and counting since it was posted on March 17. You can see customers aboard the New Buccaneer eagerly watching with their phones out. Smith replied to someone in the Facebook comments that this was the first sighting he'd seen so close to home. According to a 2014 blog from the National Wildlife Federation, about 500 orcas live in the Gulf of Mexico.

The killer whale is one of the top marine predators and is one of the most recognizable marine mammals because of their distinct black and white bodies. They also exist in a wide range of habitats, both open seas and coastal waters, NOAA says. They are most abundant in colder waters like Antarctica, Norway and Alaska but can be found in tropical and subtropical waters, like the Gulf.

The most well-studied killer whale populations occur in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, and resident killer whales have been seen from California to Russia. All killer whales are also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits the "taking" of any marine mammal species in U.S. waters. "Take" means to hunt, harass, capture or kill any marine mammal or attempt to do so. The act also prohibits the import and export of marine mammals and their parts or products.

#news #sighting #cetacean #orca #killer whale #dolphin #whale #texas #wild

[csnews]

Loro Parque’s Statement

Blog Loro Parque - Marts 12, 2021

Unfortunately Skyla, the youngest orca that arrived at Loro Parque from SeaWorld in 2006, passed away last night. We have no words to express what this loss means to all of us. Skyla was part of the Loro Parque family and we will always remember her uniqueness and her kind character with the greatest love and affection.

We want to share with you that Skyla was in perfect condition until yesterday, when she began to show some signs of discomfort, which immediately mobilized our team of experts. Despite all the effort, the veterinarians were only able to certify her demise. Everything has been arranged to carry out a post-mortem study by experts in cetacean pathology, which will clarify the causes of her death.

Skyla was, without a doubt, one of the most important ambassadors for her species in the world. For the Loro Parque family, and especially for the team of trainers who worked with her every day, this is a great loss.

#news #cetacean #orca #killer whale #death #dolphin #whale #Loro Parque #skyla #captivity

[csnews]

When Chinook salmon is off the menu, other prey will do for endangered orcas

Elizabeth Claire Alberts - March 3, 2021

- A new study has found that endangered southern resident killer whales mainly consume endangered Chinook salmon, but will broaden their diet when this species isn’t available. - The researchers obtained data through prey and fecal waste collected from resident killer whales over a 13-year period. - Efforts to reinstate Chinook salmon populations through hatchery efforts can play an important role in supporting resident killer whale populations, although these programs need to be carefully managed to ensure that stocks are diverse, the study suggests.

For nearly 20 years, Robin Baird has been following killer whales, trying to figure out what they eat. At first, he would look to see what was in their mouths as the whales feasted on fish near the surface. But then he and his colleague, Brad Hanson, started looking for more subtle clues in their flukeprints — the orbs of placid water that appear on the surface when a killer whale dives into the sea, or flicks its tail underwater. In or around these flukeprints, you can find fish scales and fecal matter, which provide a treasure trove of information.

“If they’re catching things near the surface of the water, it’s much [easier] to be able to document than if they’re capturing things at depth,” Baird, a research biologist at Cascadia Research Collective, told Mongabay in an interview. “What the fecal samples do is they show … a higher proportion of things like lingcod and halibut and sole flounder [that] are caught deeper in the water column and less likely to be brought up to the surface.”

A new study published March 3 in PLOS ONE provides a comprehensive look at the diet of the endangered southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca), or orcas, that inhabit the Pacific coast between the U.S. and Canada, as well as the inland waterways of Washington state, during the spring, summer and fall months.

By analyzing 150 prey and fecal samples collected between 2004 and 2017, the researchers found that endangered Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was always the prey of choice, constituting nearly 100% of their diet in the spring, and about 70% to 80% of their diet in mid-winter and early spring. But when Chinook salmon was scarce, particularly in the fall when orcas only ate this prey about 50% of the time, they had to supplement their diet with other fish such as chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and also non-salmonid species like lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) and Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis).

“Whether or not you interpret that as a good thing, in the sense that, ‘Okay if there aren’t enough Chinook around, they’re going to be able to get by other types of prey,’ or if you view it as an indicator of, ‘Well, we need to do more to make Chinook available to them, year round,’ I think it is a bit up in the air,” said Baird, who was a co-author of the study.

Chinook salmon is one of the fattiest, calorie-rich prey foods available to resident killer whales, and the consumption of these fish has long been linked to the survivability of orcas. Yet many Chinook salmon populations are threatened with extinction due to threats like overfishing and the construction of dams, which obstruct their ability to spawn.

For instance, 12 of the 13 Chinook salmon populations in the Fraser River, a waterway that snakes through British Columbia, are considered to be at risk because of habitat destruction, overfishing, and also warming waters due to climate change. But in the lower Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, Chinook salmon populations have moderately recovered thanks to spawning and reintroduction efforts. However, these populations are still considered “threatened.”

“If returns to the Fraser River are in trouble, and Columbia River returns are strong, then prey availability to the whales potentially balances out as the whales have evolved to move rapidly throughout their range,” Hanson, lead author of the study and a wildlife biologist at NOAA, said in a statement. “But if most of the stocks throughout their range are reduced then this could spell trouble for the whales.”

The southern resident killer whale population has been declining over the years; right now, it’s estimated there are only 74 individuals in three pods. By contrast, the northern resident killer whales have been steadily increasing, and have a current population of about 300 individuals. This discrepancy could be due to the northern resident killer whales having more access to mature Chinook salmon, the study suggests.

Hatcheries for Chinook salmon provide an important source of prey for southern resident killer whales, according to the study. But these programs should be carefully managed so that the prey is available at all times of the year, especially when there are shortages in the orcas’ diet, the researchers say.

“We don’t need more cookie-cutter fish that all come back during the time when Chinook are most abundant; we need to diversify and increase availability at other times of the year,” Baird said in a statement.

Emmalai Page, a marine campaigner at the Canadian NGO Pacific Wild, who was not involved in this study, said the research confirmed what conservationists already suspected about orcas’ diets: that they supplemented with other fish when Chinook salmon wasn’t available. However, she said it was interesting to see the seasonal changes in their diet.

“We have known that SRKWs [southern resident killer whales] were most likely not getting enough Chinook salmon, so it is reassuring to know that there is supplementation of other species occurring,” Page told Mongabay in an email.

She also said this study, as well as others like it, can help inform conservation efforts to preserve salmon populations, including Chinook salmon stocks, for resident killer whales.

“It can often be difficult to align the messaging of conservation organizations, academia and government,” Page said. “Having a scientific study concluding what many have observed for years is validating in itself. Going forward, more collaboration is needed between conservation organizations, First Nations, management organizations and academia. No single group has all the resources to make all the changes necessary.”

#news #wild #cetacean #orca #killer whale #research #study #chinook salmon #dolphin #conservation #whale #srkw

[csnews]

New orca calf inspires hope that Puget Sound whales could be recovering

Nicole Jennings - February 17, 2021

Puget Sound orca L-86 is named Surprise, and she certainly brought a surprise to the coast of San Juan Island on Wednesday when she appeared with a brand new calf. Although Surprise had lost three of her four children previously, local experts are encouraged by the fact that she was able to carry this baby — dubbed L125 — to term. Scientists believe L125 is healthy at roughly one to one-and-a-half months old, with the Center for Whale Research’s Dave Ellifrit saying that it “appears to be a perfectly normal little calf.”

The L-pod has been spending more of its time on the outer coast of Vancouver Island, which experts hope means they’ve been finding more to eat out there. Kelley Balcomb-Bartok of the Pacific Whale Watch Association says whether or not this baby survives will be very indicative of how true that theory might be.

“If this one survives, I would say that it does indicate that they’re finding food elsewhere, and if it doesn’t survive then this continues to show the challenges that they’re still facing,” he told KIRO Radio, noting that the appearance of this new calf is inspiring “cautious optimism at the moment.”

L125 represents the 75th Southern Resident Orca, whose population has severely dwindled in recent years. That’s been blamed by experts on a reduction in their primary food source, Chinook salmon, as well as a variety of other environmental factors. Last summer, two babies were born to J-pod. Those calves are doing well, as is the rest of J-pod. Balcomb-Bartok says we can all do our part to help the orcas by voting for people who work toward salmon recovery efforts, such as dam removal.

#news #wild #srkw #killer whale #whale #orca #dolphin #cetacean #conservation #calf

[csnews]

Right whale calf fatally struck by boat washes up on Anastasia Island

Brie Isom - February 13, 2021

A right whale calf washed up Saturday on the shore of Anastasia State Park beach. Marine biologists, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office were at the scene Saturday evening. Crews were studying the whale and prepared to move it off the beach out of the tide zone. The calf, born to mother Infinity, was 22 feet, 4 inches long.

Jim Hain, the chief scientist at the Marineland Right Whale Project, told News4Jax the whale was struck around dusk Friday night by a boat, which was damaged by the impact and grounded. Hain said they don’t know where the mother is. The whale was not found on the Anastasia State Park beach until Saturday morning. Right whales are endangered and are closely tracked from the time they are born. Scientists believe there are less than 400 left.

At least 14 calves have been spotted so far this season, all from different mothers. The whales typically come down to the Northeast Florida shoreline from November through March for calving season, where they nurse and strengthen their calves. This is also a time when they tend to get accidentally struck by boats.

“We’re hoping for good calf production and a low mortality rate,” Hain said. “When something like this happens, it’s like a gut punch.”

“They stay so close to shore and people often see them, you know, passing by,” said Blair Mase, Southeast Region Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator with NOAA. “It just really is a devastating impact. And, you know, each one that occurs, unfortunately, impact the future population.”

Biologists studied the growth and characteristics of the whale Saturday to hopefully prevent events like this happening in the future.

“It’s like putting a red light at an intersection or a speed zone at a school zone,” Hain said. “It’s humans that are killing right whales, so we’re trying to make human education change human behavior.”

The whale has been moved to a little trench made out of sand until biologists can come back Sunday to do a necropsy, which is an autopsy on a whale. The chief scientist at the scene said this was the first vessel collision death of the year. If you see a right whale, you are encouraged to call 877-WHALE HELP. And legally, boats must stay 500 yards from any right whale they spot.

#news #wild #whale #cetacean #right whale #calf #death #conservation

[csnews]

Killer whales seen off Sipadan, reinforces Semporna waters as marine mammal study area

Muguntan Vanar - February 2, 2021

A relatively rare sighting of four killer whales or orcas in waters around Sabah’s famed Pulau Sipadan reinforces the importance of the Semporna region for marine mammals and provides valuable data on marine mammal studies in the area. Footage showing two adult orcas and two calves swimming to the north of Sipadan was captured and posted on social media by Scuba Junkie dive master Arapat Abdurahim last month.

One of the adults was recorded splashing the surface of the water with its tail - ‘lobtailing’ - which according to marine biologists is thought to be a a form of communication between individual orcas, or a warning to stay away.

“It is not unusual for our guests to see marine mammals on their way to Sipadan or on the south side of Kapalai. Quite often, it is dolphins - but on other occasions we are treated to rarer species such as the orcas sighted last week, melon headed whales and even sperm whales.

“It is incredibly exciting for guests and staff to spot a marine mammal on the surface and be able to contribute to the body of research on rarely seen species - for example in 2017, when we reported the first confirmed sighting of dwarf sperm whales in Malaysia, ” Arapat said in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 2).

Scuba Junkie S.E.A.S is a marine conservation organisation based at Scuba Junkie Mabul Beach Resort. The organisation is working with researchers to gather data on the marine mammals that occur in the area and enable more accurate identifications. As incredible as this sighting was - it is not uncommon for the Semporna region which had been identified as a key part of the Western Celebes Sea Drop Off ‘Area Of Interest.

The area has been designated by the IUCN Marine Mammals Protected Areas Task Force due to the high number of marine mammal sightings reported there in the media and on tourism and nature forums. According to a local marine biologist, 21 species of marine mammals have been recorded in the area and most of them were oceanic or deep water species that migrate from the Sulu Sea to Celebes Sea.

“Orcas have been documented in this region before, however, the partnership with Scuba Junkie S.E.A.S has enabled training to be given to local dive operator staff, so we now receive good imagery and clear descriptions from such encounters.

“This has helped enormously in documenting other species with certainty. It is exciting to see this species in the Sipadan area and to have the diving community engage so enthusiastically with our study” said Dr Lindsay Porter from Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM), which provides funding for the study of whales, dolphins and porpoise in this region. In addition, she said dive operators have assisted this study by also deploying acoustic monitors on the seabed to record marine mammal vocalisations, from which species identification can often be made.

“For many of the marine mammal species seen in the Semporna region, their use of the area is still unknown. It may be seasonal, to fulfil critical aspects of lifecycle patterns, for example shelter for mothers and young calves - such as the orca last week - or transient, as part of a migration route or larger oceanic passages, ” added Dr Porter.

“The use of acoustics as part of this project has allowed us to monitor the area more consistently, meaning that species identification does not solely rely on opportunistic sightings. The acoustic recordings provide us with a detailed soundtrack of marine mammal vocalisations, which will provide us with a more detailed picture of how the mammals use this area, ” she added.

Additionally, Scuba Junkie S.E.A.S conservation manager David McCannsaid they were happy to work in collaboration with researchers and other NGOs to further understand the unique marine environment in Semporna region. He said that this is not the first time an orca with a calf has been spotted in the area.

“Notably, there was an incredible encounter when divers with Scuba Junkie witnessed an orca and calf eating a sunfish in 2019. Examining whether this area has an important role for mothers and calves would be of great interest to many parties, ” he said. Dr Porter, meanwhile, urges caution and care in encounters with the mammals and for people to “behave responsibly around all marine animals, do not get too close to animals or harass or stress them to get footage.”

#news #wild #cetacean #sighting #killer whale #whale #dolphin #orca

[csnews]

Shot orca spotted in Dunedin Harbour eight years after rescue

Debbie Jamieson - January 30, 2021

A stranded orca that was rescued at the Kaipara Harbour almost eight years ago has been spotted swimming in Dunedin Harbour. The Orca Research Trust reported that Koru and his presumed mother Nicky were seen travelling with at least four other orca on Saturday, inside Dunedin Harbour and heading north. Koru was recognisable by a shot in his dorsal fin that caused it to collapse and look like a koru, the trust said in a Facebook post.

He was named for the shape. It was not known how he was shot. Nicky had a large nick in the trailing edge of her fin, which was also how she acquired her name. Former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, his wife Meghan and their two children were amongst those who were able to get close to the orca, in their friend’s boat. Meghan, the keeper and caretaker of Quarantine Island in the harbour, said the experience was amazing.

The orca were in different groups, and those onboard the boat were surprised when three suddenly appeared next to the boat and then dived underneath it. She spotted some orca only metres from people who were on the beach at Aramoana.

“They were incredible. They are such beautiful creatures. We are really lucky,” she said. They had travelled with Port to Port Cruises owner/operator Rachel McGregor, who began receiving reports of the orca early in the morning.

“I’ve been working on the harbour about 17 years but I’ve never seen orca that far up the harbour,” she said. It was extra special to learn later that Koru had earlier been saved.

“People put in a lot of effort but you never actually hear what’s happened later. There’s been so many years in between – it’s so amazing. Everyone is excited,” she said.

A 2013 report in the NZ Herald said commercial fishermen found and tended to Koru while he was stuck fast on a sandbank. Tutukaka orca expert Ingrid Visser and Orca Research Trust volunteers stayed with Koru until the tide had risen enough for the orca to free itself. Koru had a few small bite marks where his companions had tried to free him, but that was nothing unusual, she said.

#news #wild #new zealand #orca #killer whale #cetacean #whale #dolphin #sighting

[csnews]

State passes new right whale protections

Doug Fraser - January 28, 2021

The state’s Marine Fisheries Commission passed regulations Thursday that it hopes will dramatically reduce the risk to highly endangered right whales from lobster pot and gillnet buoy lines. The state plan is intended to dovetail with a federal plan from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reduce the risk of entanglement in fishing lines by 60%. The administration released its plan for public comment last month. The state Division of Marine Fisheries estimated that the new measures will make gear entanglements in state waters 76% less likely for whales.

“Massachusetts stepped up to the plate today and did something significant for North Atlantic right whales,” said Gib Brogan, a senior campaign manager for the marine conservation organization Oceana. “By reducing the risk of entanglement in fishing gear, which is a leading cause of death for this species, Massachusetts set its lobster industry apart today and showed itself as a leader in ocean conservation and responsible lobster fishing.”

Brogan said he hoped that Maine, by far the region’s leader in the lobster fishery and the most resistant to measures to protect right whales, would follow suit. From mid-winter into summer, the majority of the right whale population is in Massachusetts state waters, particularly Cape Cod Bay, feeding on copepods, small oily zooplankton that make up much of their diet. The new state rules crafted by the Division of Marine Fisheries expand the number, size, and timing of areas closed to fishing.

Thursday’s decision was somewhat different from what had been proposed in public hearings. Instead of shutting all state waters to lobster gear for three months beginning Feb. 1, the commission extended the closure to May 15 but exempted state waters south and southwest of the Cape. Whale survey records showed very few sightings of right whales in that area during the proposed closure period. While many conservation groups are concerned about protections for what has become a year-round aggregation of right whales south of Nantucket, that area is much farther south and in federal waters, Brogan said.

“Those guys actually had a legitimate argument down there,” Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association President Arthur “Sookey” Sawyer said of Southeastern Massachusetts fishermen. “The spring fishery is a big deal for them.”

The state also required that fishermen use lines that can break at 1,700 pounds of pressure, or have weak links inserted at 60-foot intervals that part at 1,700 pounds. Studies have shown that the 1,700-pound breaking point allows adult right whales to escape.

Sawyer felt that Massachusetts fishermen could live with the measures taken by the state. The state's lobster fishery is second only to scallops in value, with $93.3 million paid to commercial fishermen in 2019. Scallops were the top species in revenues at $397 million, and the iconic cod brought in only $4.5 million. Over 1,400 commercial fishermen have state lobster permits.

The new closed area now extends from Nantucket up to the New Hampshire border, but the state can reopen portions of that expanse, or all state waters, to lobster fishing any time after April 30 if there are no sightings of right whales. The state also closed an area off Scituate to gillnet fishing. All recreational lobster and crab pot gear has to be out of the water by Columbus Day and cannot go back in until the Friday before Memorial Day.

To be compliant with federal risk reduction goals, the state needed a 30% reduction in vertical buoy lines, and part of that calculation initially included a ban on single pot buoy lines for vessels over 29 feet in length. But public comments said requiring each buoy to be connected to two or more pots could be a safety risk for fishermen operating single-handed even in vessels over 29 feet. The commission decided it needed further study to evaluate the safety risk.

With fewer than 90 females remaining, right whale advocates and scientists worry the species faces functional extinction in as little as a couple of decades. Females have been particularly susceptible to death from entanglements and ship strikes, the two leading causes of right whale mortality. Scientists estimate that less than one right whale a year can be killed by humans.

Right whale numbers have been lower, with only 270 individuals in 1990 before recovering to 481 in 2011. But they have been in steep decline ever since. Between 2017 and Nov. 2020, 31 right whales died from entanglement and ship strikes, with only 22 calves born. But 14 calves have born this year, and Sawyer is hopeful.

"Hopefully, we'll turn the corner and the right whale population will come up," he said.

#cetacean #whale #right whale #conservation #news #wild

[csnews]

California harbor porpoises rebound after coastal gillnetting stopped

NOAA Headquarters - January 2021

Harbor porpoises have rebounded in a big way off California. Their populations have recovered dramatically since the end of state set-gillnet fisheries that years ago entangled and killed them in the nearshore waters they frequent. These coastal set-gillnet fisheries are distinct from federally-managed offshore drift-gillnet fisheries. They have been prohibited in inshore state waters for more than a decade. The new research indicates that the coastal set gillnets had taken a greater toll on harbor porpoise than previously realized.

The return of harbor porpoises reflects the first documented example of the species rebounding. It's a bright spot for marine wildlife, the scientists write in a new assessment published in Marine Mammal Science.

"This is very good evidence that if we can eliminate the deaths in fishing nets, marine mammal populations can come back in a big way," said Karin Forney, a research biologist with NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center who is based in Monterey Bay.

The State of California managed set-gillnet fisheries for white seabass and halibut in coastal waters off central California beginning in the 1930s. Before the 1980s, there was little solid information about the impacts of coastal set-gillnets on protected species such as marine mammals and seabirds. Harbor porpoises were vulnerable to this coastal fishery because they frequent shallow inshore waters where the nets were historically set.

The scientists estimated, based on a combination of data, that as many as 300 harbor porpoises per year may have been killed in California's coastal set-gillnet fisheries during the 1980s. One 1994 study confirmed the deaths of more than 50 harbor porpoises in Monterey Bay alone, with the authors speculating that the true number was far higher.

Rebound for Populations

In the late 1980s, fishery protections for seabirds and southern sea otters benefited harbor porpoises, too. Three of the four stocks of harbor porpoises off the California Coast rebounded as the coastal set-gillnets were largely phased out, the new study shows. These coastal gillnets have been prohibited north of the Sonoma-Mendocino County line (north of Santa Rosa) since the early 1900s. That safeguarded the fourth stock, the more remote Northern California/Southern Oregon population.

The Morro Bay population most clearly reflected the rebound. Biologists estimated the population numbered about 570 animals in 1991. Surveys in the last few years estimate the population at approximately 4,200 porpoises, a roughly seven-fold increase.

The rapid growth of the Morro Bay stock suggests that bycatch had depressed the population, especially before and during the 1980s. The population decreased more than researchers had recognized previously, the scientists reported in the new study. They concluded that it "is likely that unmonitored fisheries had a dramatic adverse impact on the Morro Bay population before monitoring of harbor porpoise began in 1986."

"We didn't really know how heavily the Morro Bay population had been impacted by the white seabass and halibut gillnets at the time," Forney said. "It is now clear that the toll was more severe than we thought."

She said the finding has significance for other marine mammals still threatened by gillnets. Unlawful gillnets in Mexico have pushed the critically endangered vaquita to the brink of extinction, for example. Repeated surveys have found that the number of surviving animals may now be in the single digits. The vaquita is the world's smallest porpoise that lives in the turbid waters of the Gulf of California, where those gillnets target a large and also endangered native fish that is prized in China as traditional medicine.

"The story in California tells us that these animals are capable of recovering if we eliminate the factors causing their decline, in this case, gillnet bycatch from coastal fisheries within the range of harbor porpoise," Forney said.

Surveys Track Porpoise Numbers

Aerial surveys for harbor porpoises off California began in 1986, collecting data that formed the foundation of the new population assessment. Scientists supplemented the surveys with additional porpoise sightings from surveys of endangered leatherback turtles. The consistency of the surveys that continued over decades make them valuable in detecting changes. California harbor porpoises were once considered a single population. Beginning in 2001 biologists recognized there were four genetically distinct stocks: Morro Bay, Monterey Bay, San Francisco/Russian River, and Northern California/Southern Oregon.

The new analysis shows that three of the four stocks increased in number since the days of coastal set gillnet fishing, and have recently begun to stabilize:

Morro Bay: Increased almost 10 percent a year after most coastal gillnetting ceased by 2001, now numbering about 4,200 porpoises.

Monterey Bay: Population grew faster after coastal gillnetting stopped in 2003, but not as fast as Morro Bay. Most recently estimated at about 3,760 porpoises.

San Francisco/Russian River: Numbers fell until coastal gillnetting was prohibited in 1987. Beginning about 2009, hundreds of harbor porpoises became regularly visible in San Francisco Bay, perhaps benefiting from improved water quality, and earlier changes such as the removal of an anti-submarine netting that blocked the Golden Gate. Now estimated at 7,777 individuals.

Northern California/Southern Oregon: Lesser known population that is California's largest at about 12,160 porpoises.

Drift gillnet separate fishery

A small federal drift-gillnet fishery for swordfish continues in deeper waters miles off California. This fishery operates too far offshore to affect harbor porpoises. The fishery adopted stringent bycatch reduction measures in the 1990s and early 2000s to protect marine mammals and sea turtles. To protect marine mammals, the top of the nets hang below the surface so marine mammals can pass overhead. Acoustic "pingers" warn marine mammals of the nets' presence. To protect leatherback sea turtles, federal fishery managers close a large area off California to drift gillnets each year when the turtles are present. The measures have dramatically reduced bycatch of marine mammals and sea turtles.

"We now know much more about how to protect these species from fishing impacts," Forney said, "and we are seeing the results."

#news #wild #cetacean #porpoise #harbour porpoise #conservation #noaa

[csnews]

The aquarium dolphin riding experience disappears

Oh Ye-jin - January 21, 2021

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries prepares a comprehensive aquarium management plan...Total ban on cetacean breeding.

From now on, the 'experience program' of riding dolphins or beluga in the aquarium is expected to disappear, and the act of bringing in new cetaceans from the aquarium to breeding or exhibiting is expected to be completely banned. On the 21st, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries unveiled the 'First Comprehensive Aquarium Management Plan' (2021-2025), which aims to prevent abuse of marine animals and create a safe aquarium environment.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries decided to amend the Zoo and Aquarium Act (Act on Management of Zoos and Aquariums) to change the existing aquarium registration system to a permit system. Currently, if you apply for registration with a tank capacity of 300㎥ or a floor area of ​​200㎡ or more, you can open an aquarium, but in the future, the aquarium is divided into large, small and medium-sized, and other large aquariums with a size of 10,000㎡ or more. It is planned to be able to rear 10,000 individuals. Small and medium-sized aquariums less than 10,000 square meters will be allowed to rear 200 species of marine organisms with fewer than 10,000.

New permit standards reflecting the suitable habitat environment for each species of marine animals are also created. For marine animal experience events run by some aquariums, such as Geoje Sea World, which caused the 'animal cruelty controversy' with the Beluga riding program last year, it has decided to prepare guidelines that stipulate possible and prohibited activities by the end of this year. Subsequently, the law will be amended to specifically list prohibited acts and also specify penalties for violating them.

Currently, only acts such as damaging or starving animals are defined and punished as 'abuse', but the government is considering a direction in which feeding, touching, and riding of visitors are also prohibited in the animal welfare level. The aquarium is not allowed to bring in new whales other than the existing ones, and it plans to completely ban the breeding and display of cetaceans in newly opened aquariums.

For dead cetaceans, we will also consider ways to make them available for educational and research purposes through taxidermy. In addition, when the government permits or inspects the aquarium business, an expert who can evaluate the appropriateness of the habitat environment will be designated as an inspector to receive advice.

In terms of biodiversity conservation, it was decided to establish a database (DB) by conducting an actual condition survey on the current status of species in domestic aquariums. In particular, for marine protected organisms in which individual management is urgent, a 'blood registration register' containing the pedigree and individual government is used for propagation or restoration projects.

The number of specialized institutions for the rescue and treatment of marine animals such as whales and sea turtles is planned to increase from 8 in 2018 to 15 in 2023 and 20 in 2028. In addition, it was decided to establish guidelines for preventing infectious diseases and to establish a response system for disasters and accidents for hygiene management and safety accident prevention for aquarium visitors and workers.

Prior to the establishment of this comprehensive plan, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has formed the 'Aquarium Dolphin Welfare Improvement Council' in August last year with private aquarium companies and civic groups, and announced that it will continue discussions through the consultative body for the revision of the law.

NOTE: This article has been translated from Korean to English, and thus might containg grammatical errors.

#news #cetacean #captivity #dolphin #korea