Vancouver Aquarium doing good work, but board bans whale and dolphin breeding

The Vancouver Park Board drew a line in the sand, or perhaps the surf, this week when it decided that the Vancouver Aquarium could continue to keep whales and dolphins in captivity, but must not breed them or otherwise promote reproduction amongst the captive animals.

The decision comes as political pressure mounts against North American marine parks amid a growing concern about what captivity does to animals.

Even the Vancouver Aquarium appears to be a target of the movement, despite its mandate to handle only animals saved from captivity elsewhere or otherwise unable to be returned to captivity.

According to a statement by the Vancouver Park Board, a motion to ban the breeding of captive cetaceans passed with a unanimous decision, Thursday evening.

“There were a lot of intelligent, thoughtful, passionate presentations and we had a lot of information to digest,” board chair Aaron Jasper aid in a statement. “I think we struck a balance between supporting the good work of the Aquarium and continuing the discussion of the ethics of keeping cetaceans in captivity.”

[ Related: Vancouver Aquarium's whale, dolphin breeding banned by park board ]

The ruling comes after the release of a report that claims the aquarium's cetacean program positively contributed to marine mammal conservation. The aquarium handles animals that have been saved from other marine parks, or would otherwise be unable to survive in the wild.

The board essentially decided that the aquarium should continue its work, but must review the status of their animals with an eye on removing them from public exhibitions and perhaps even releasing them into captivity.

According to CBC News, the most significant motion focused on ending the facility's breeding program, except in cases of threatened species.

The board decided the breeding program did not serve the purpose of conservation.

It does beg the question as to how aquarium staff will actually stop whales from breeding, other than perhaps feeding them too much garlic.

"We don’t operate a formal breeding program. We keep animals together in natural groups, just as they exist in nature, and healthy animals sometimes mate," said Vancouver Aquarium CEO John Nightingale, according to CTV News.

"Keeping them apart or using artificial contraceptives, or whatever method the park board is going to mandate, is not natural, so it’s actually kind of animal cruelty."

[ Related: Vancouver Aquarium’s future could be whale of an election issue ]

The ruling comes down as the debate around Vancouver's marine park threatened to spread into the political realm.

With a civic election coming in November, and with the facility set to begin a $100 million expansion, the fate of the city-run aquarium could have become an election issue. Anneliese Sorg, the president of the group No Whales in Captivity, told Yahoo Canada News recently that the advocacy group wanted a non-binding referendum question about the aquarium's future to be added to the upcoming election ballot.

The Vancouver Aquarium holds an international reputation for its marine mammal research as well as its rehabilitation centre. Some of those expenses are covered by selling tickets to the facility and allowing visitors to view the animals.

This is not like various North American marine parks, where viewing of the animals is the central focus and where animal breeding has caused raucous opposition. San Diego's Sea World has faced state legislation that would ban its breeding program, following the release of the documentary "Blackfish," which detailed the issues associated with keeping whales in captivity.

Critics have even accused Sea World of using its breeding program, and a currently pregnant whale, to improve public opinion of the facility.

Regardless, if the Vancouver Aquarium's mandate is conservation and research, that is what its focus should be. There shouldn't be a concerted effort to induce captive pregnancy. But if one should happen naturally, there are lessons researchers can learn from the result.

Whale and dolphin captivity has seen its rightful share of negative press recently, but that doesn't make every marine biologist in Canada the offspring of Cruella de Vil.

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