Barcelona is currently deciding whether to shut down its dolphinarium, become a dolphin captivity-free city, and retire the dolphins to seaside sanctuaries.
Located within the Barcelona zoo, the dolphinarium hosts four dolphins in a facility that is too small and has not been upgraded in decades. As of 2018, it will be in violation of new welfare standards set by the European Association of Aquatic Mammals.
City and zoo officials have long known about the troubles with the facility. In 2015, dolphin performances were stopped, and the former administration of Barcelona, headed by Xavier Trias, approved roughly $15 million in funding in order to bring the facility up to code. However, current mayor Ada Colau has now stalled the project, with many from her administration questioning whether the city needs a dolphinarium at all.
In October, a city council meeting was convened to discuss the issue, with the local group FAADA presenting potential retirement scenarios for the dolphins, including a potential facility in Greece. A final decision from the administration is expected to be reached in December of this year.
The city is grappling with questions that are increasingly being asked around the world – is there any way to keep dolphins in an ethical way? Are there any good reasons to justify the confinement of these intelligent, social and naturally ocean-going species? More people and governements around the world are answering with a resounding “no”. The National Aquarium in Baltimore, for example, recently announced their decision to retire their dolphins to a sanctuary.
The International Marine Mammal Project and many others believe that Barcelona should make the ethical decision and act in the dolphin’s best interests. No one wants to work until the day they die, or be on display for their entire lives. The Barcelona dolphins have a right to live in the sea again. Let’s hope that Colau’s administration makes the right decision.