Russian Opposition to Cetacean Catch-Ban
The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute is one of the lead organizations globally coordinating efforts on behalf of Russian whales and dolphins. We helped to return the Whale Jail whales of Russia to the ocean and are now working to permanently ban such wild captures of whales and dolphins in Russian waters.
A stealth effort is underway in Russia to squash an effort to ban all live captures of cetaceans in Russian waters for captivity.
Last December, in order to prevent another tragedy for captive whales and dolphins as occurred at the Whale Jail, Russian activists developed an online petition, urging the Russian government to ban all live captures of cetaceans. They collected 100,000 signatures, a number which should have prompted immediate attention from the Russian government.
Instead, the Federal Level Expert Working Group, a Russian government commission, wrote a draft report that highly criticized the ban proposed by activists.The draft report cites the importance of dolphinariums for educational and scientific purposes and for dolphin-assisted therapies, both propositions that are highly questionable. Dolphin-assisted therapies exploit both dolphins and children with disabilities with dubious benefits. The educational and scientific value of dolphinariums is minute.
The draft further references false population numbers to claim support for continued captures. Furthermore, the individuals that run the Federal Level Expert Working Group are not marine mammalogists and are unqualified to make “recommendations” on this matter.
Environmentalist Jean-Michele Cousteau (of Ocean Futures Society) sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishutin urging them to adopt the ban on captures, stating that he “…hopes that Russia will be a world leader in protecting whales and dolphins from the cruel practice of live capture of cetaceans for entertainment.”
In 2019, four Russian companies captured 87 beluga whales and ten orcas for captivity, housing them in the notorious Whale Jail with the intent to sell them to Chinese aquariums. But Russian conservationists intervened, and with the help of the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute and other organizations, as well as celebrities and scientists from around the world, blocked the export of the whales to China and prevailed upon President Putin to return the whales back to their ocean homes.
Russian conservationists wish to end the captures for captivity permanently.
IMMP continues to strongly support the efforts of the Russian people to end the live captures of cetaceans for a miserable life in small concrete tanks. We are hopeful the Russian government will listen to Mr. Cousteau, the Russian conservationists and public, and other concerned people from around the world and implement a permanent ban on live captures of whales and dolphins.