Ottawa/CMEDIA: Ottawa has reportedly denied a request from Marineland to send its remaining 30 beluga whales to China, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said Wednesday.
She added that they are the last captive whales in Canada.
According to a database created by The Canadian Press based on internal documents and official statements, twenty whales — one killer whale and 19 belugas — have died since 2019 at the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction.
“This is a very difficult decision to make, but it is rooted in the Fisheries Act and I’m proud that in Canada we do have an act that’s very specific around the treatment of whales in particular, and how it is not OK to keep them in captivity for entertainment purposes,” Thompson told Parliament Hill reporters on Wednesday morning.
“All whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for entertainment purposes.”
The decision to make the entertainment shows illegal and forbade breeding was in agreement with a 2019 law that banned whale and dolphin captivity, She said.
Thompson said she is open to “looking at other decisions that really speak to the health and well-being of the whales.”
Asked what will happen next, she said: “That decision sits with Marineland.”
A response to a request for comment by Marineland was not followed immediately.
Marineland maintained that it treats its whales in accordance with the law.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was disappointed the federal government would not sign off on the animals’ move.
“You know I’m an animal lover and it’s just a sad situation,” he said at Queen’s Park in Toronto. “I’m really encouraging the federal government to allow us to make sure that these whales survive in a really great atmosphere or a new home.”
He promised to help try to find other options for Marineland’s whales.
“We don’t have to move all 30 in one shot, a couple here, a couple there,” Ford said. “And we want them to survive and if they don’t, well, the federal government has to answer on that one.”
Ford added that shipping the whales out of the country is likely the only option.
“We need a proper home for them, simple as that,” he said. “We gotta save the whales.”
Marineland opened in the summer of 2023, but had shuttered a few rides. It closed to the public in late summer 2024 and has not reopened. It did not open this year as it looks to sell the park and the vast swath of land it owns near Horseshoe Falls. No sale has yet been announced.
At present four dolphins, a few seals and sea lions and a contingent of bears and deer remain at Marineland.
Although the law that banned whale captivity did not apply to the existing population of captive whales at Marineland, nevertheless the park had to comply with another part of the law that forbade breeding.
The importation and exportation of whales was also banned by the legislation with exceptions for scientific research or “if it is in the best interest” of the animal, with discretion left up to the minister.
Being aware of the proposed Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has noted it is “not operational.”
Having conducted an ongoing investigation into Marineland since 2020, Ontario, responsible for enforcing animal welfare laws and inspectors have visited the park more than 200 times and issued 33 orders for compliance.
The Ministry of the Solicitor General has said that there are still four long-term outstanding orders against Marineland focused on the water quality, the maintenance and repair of the water system, proper record-keeping for whales and dolphins and the condition of enclosures and enrichment level for dolphins, seals and sea lions.
The province declared in 2021 that all marine mammals at Marineland in distress, citing poor water. Marineland disagreed, filed an appeal to an order and then dropped its appeal.
Ford should lead the charge to help get the proposed Whale Sanctuary Project up and running in Nova Scotia, said World Animal Protection.
“Exporting them to China is not the solution,” said campaign director Melissa Matlow.
“Ford has the opportunity to show real leadership by working with Ottawa and Nova Scotia to finally get the whale sanctuary off the ground creating a safe, natural ocean environment where they can thrive. If there’s political will to make it happen, it can happen.”
