Canadian Authorities Reject Marineland's Request To Send Beluga Whales To China

Illustration of beluga. (Wikimedia Commons/Curimedia I P H O O O G R A P H Y)

JAKARTA - Canada's last whales will remain in Marineland near Niagara Falls, after the federal government rejected requests to send 30 belugas whales to China.

The Canadian government will not grant export permits to send the whales to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said on Wednesday.

He said the decision was consistent with a 2019 law banning the use of whales and dolphins in entertainment shows or keeping them in captivity.

"All whales should be at sea, not in aquariums for entertainment purposes," Thompson said, quoted by Kyodo News Oct. 3.

Twenty whale one killer whale and 19 beluga have died at the Niagara Waterfall tourist attraction, Ontario, since 2019, according to a database created by the news agency The Canadian Press based on internal documents and official statements.

Thompson said what would happen next to the whales was Marineland's responsibility.

Marineland said it was "very" disappointed with the federal government's decision.

"After several years of trying to find a permanent home for our beluga, humane relocation to accredited facilities abroad is the only viable option to ensure our beloved whales stay alive and receive proper care," the company said in an email.

Marineland added the decision "to punish these extraordinary animals in the uncertain future in closed facilities, without the ability to finance the continuation of their feeding and care."

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said it was disappointed the federal government did not approve of the transfer of the animals.

"We need a decent home for them, that's as simple as that," he said.

"We have to save these whales," he said.

Thompson said he agreed "these whales deserve a good home, but the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park is not the right choice."

"I cannot with a clean conscience approve the exports of these whales for further exploitation. I will welcome all export requests in accordance with the Fisheries Act and will immediately review them," he explained.

Marineland announced it will sell it in early 2023 and closed to the public by the end of the summer of 2024. The park was not opened this year because it wanted to sell its parks and large land near Horseshoe Falls. There has been no announcement of the sale.

The law prohibits whale breeding does not apply to the population of captive whales in Marineland, but the park must comply with other parts of the law that prohibits breeding.