Whale sanctuary idea not without problems
Ecosystems also need protection, write Casey Chiu and Kai Chan.
With the recent Park Board ban on keeping captive whales, dolphins, and porpoises (cetaceans), you might wonder, “where would they live?”
One popular answer is the Whale Sanctuary Project, which proposes a seaside sanctuary as the retirement home for cetaceans currently housed at the Vancouver Aquarium and other North American aquariums and marine parks. Though there are several sea pens around the world, this would be the first ever seaside sanctuary for cetaceans. Is it a viable answer to the ongoing controversy of cetaceans in captivity?
Animals that have been in captivity are not always releasable. Many of the cetaceans in marine parks are born and raised in human care, and they have never seen the wild before. Plus, some have permanent injuries, like Helen, a Pacific white-sided dolphin that is a permanent resident at the Vancouver Aquarium.
These animals do not have the skills to hunt and survive in the wild. The popular 1993 movie Free Willy describes the attempted release of a captive whale named Keiko; despite having some interactions with wild whales after being released, Keiko remained dependent of its caregiver. In this context, a seaside sanctuary seems like an appropriate way to care for non-releasable cetaceans.
It is evident that large marine mammals like orcas, belugas, and dolphins should not be kept permanently in concrete tanks that are a minuscule fraction of their natural home ranges in the oceans. The current SeaWorld tank for orcas is only 10 metres deep and 100 metres long, whereas wild orcas dive to 300-metre depths and travel 160 kilometres per day.
The proposed size of the sanctuary is far larger than the tanks, at approximately 500 metres by 500 metres and at least 15 metres deep. But even this large enclosure would likely leave the whales swimming in circles, with water currents too slow to keep the dorsal fins upright. It would also lack the variation of movement and interactions with a diversity of other animals that are needed for mental stimulation.
Maintenance of the facility also needs more consideration. If there is a disease outbreak in the wild, how do we prevent the sanctuary whales from getting sick, given that most have spent the majority of their lives in effective quarantine? Likewise, wild populations might not have immunity for the kinds of disease that sanctuary whales carry. For example, some cetacean deaths are caused by water-borne bacteria only found in captivity via chlorine-added water.
Furthermore, how could we prevent the whales from escaping? If a captive-bred whale escaped and mated with wild whales, it might transmit genetic shortcomings from inbreeding into the wild populations. As for now, separation between the sanctuary and the open water has not been clearly stated by the Whale Sanctuary Project.
A seaside sanctuary would also have impacts on local ecosystems. There’s the possibility of conflict and competition with wild native whales. For example, if we introduce belugas to a sanctuary built on the west coast of B.C., where orcas are more common, there are risks of disease transmission, food competition, and aggression. Such impacts might affect not only the local whales but also other marine mammals, seabirds, fish, and marine invertebrates. Harbour seals might lose a breeding area, and seabirds, fish and invertebrates might lose shelter or feeding areas near the coast and as far out as open water.
A sanctuary for retired cetaceans is a nice idea for a close-to-nature home. It is also a complicated project that needs careful planning to ensure the welfare of captive whales and to protect local ecosystems. Casey Chiu is an active volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium and their Marine Mammal Rescue Centre and an animal biology honours student in the Faculty of Science at UBC. Kai Chan is a professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries at UBC.
Vaughn Palmer returns in the new year.