Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity: Top news
Now that the SWIMS Act has been introduced into Congress, we need your help to ensure its passage. Check out ways you can help end captivity for small whales.
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Orcas, pilot whales, belugas, and false killer whales do poorly in captivity, in poor health and often stressed. The SWIMS Act, introduced today in Congress, will change that.
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Progress is being made shutting down dolphinariums around the world, but too many dolphins and whales remain in concrete coffins, entertaining us and generating obscene profits for facilities that hold these special and fragile animals.
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Whales and dolphins in captivity swim in circles all day long. What is that like? Swimmer Alberto Lorente decided to see by actually jumping in a tank and swimming in circles, over and over again. Hear his story.
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What is the alternative to SeaWorld's remaining captive orcas, languishing in small concrete tanks? Seaside sanctuaries can provide a safe haven for captive orcas as well as other captive cetaceans like beluga whales.
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VIDEO: 30 years ago, Jen MaHarry designed the iconic "Free Willy" movie poster, showing Willy jumping over a breakwater to freedom. Jen recently designed a wonderful new design for our campaign to retire the remaining captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries.
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We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
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Tokitae (also known as Lolita) is making progress in Miami, while plans proceed for the approval process from government agencies to build her new seaside sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest.
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Want to know more about Keiko and his incredible journey back to his home waters of Iceland?
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Dave Phillips, Executive Director of the International Marine Mammal Project, talks to BBC radio about Keiko and his return to his home waters in Iceland, and his legacy for ending captivity for cetaceans.
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Campaign Top News
- International Marine Mammal Project >
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From pushing for sanctuaries for Wikie & Keijo and 30 beluga whales, to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, to protecting wetlands in the Barataria basin, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a great deal in 2025 for whales and dolphins.
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What is it like being a student intern at the International Marine Mammal Project? An internship can be life-changing for a student. Our intern Jillian talks about her experience with IMMP.
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From battling the whaling industry in Japan and Iceland, to exposing the continued slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, to saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually through Dolphin Safe tuna, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a lot in 2024.
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- Save Japan Dolphins >
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The Taiji dolphin drive hunts have again ended, killing hundreds of dolphins for meat after removing "show quality" animals for a miserable life in captivity. Numbers were slightly higher this year for slaughter, although historically low compared to recent years.
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Three species of dolphins have been captured and slaughtered over the past month as the bloody Taiji dolphin drive hunts continue. Most of the dolphins you see in these photos are now dead. The hunts end on March 1st, but six months later, they will begin again.
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A former dolphin trainer explains the damage done by dolphin and small whale captures in Taiji, Japan. Learn the facts about how the aquarium industry sources wild dolphins for a lifetime of misery in small concrete tanks.
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- Dolphin + Whale Project >
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Things are bad for the declining gray whale population, but a recent symposium in Newport, Oregon, left a lot to be desired, as issues of policy and climate change were left behind in the discussions. Action is needed now!
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The Canadian government is taking positive steps to protect the North Atlantic right whale. But the Trump administration is trying to weaken protections for right whales, and the US Senate is poised to pass a bill that would delay any new regulations for right whales until 2035!
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On Tuesday, IMMP took the first step with Oasis Earth and CBD to sue the Trump administration for not taking action on a listing petition to add the gray whale to the US Endangered Species List. No response from the government, so we will see them in court.
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- Keiko Whale Rescue >
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Like most cetaceans, beluga whales do poorly in captivity. Many are now kept in aquariums around the world -- some get stranded once the aquarium or park goes broke and shuts down. Learn about the beluga whale, and why it is a bad idea to keep them in small concrete tanks.
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We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
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30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
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- Dolphin Safe Fishing >
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The US is now the biggest importer of seafood in the world, but the sustainability of many of the fisheries involved is highly questionable. The experience with the Dolphin Safe tuna label can help form better monitoring and protection for fish populations, as well as protect non-target species like marine mammals.
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Every year, we estimate that the Dolphin Safe label on tuna cans saves the lives of 90,000 dolphins annually in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, and many more in other oceans of the world. You, as a consumer, should know how the Dolphin Safe label works to protect dolphins in global tuna fisheries.
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A new Marine Mammal Protection Act has been proposed for the Philippines, with strong support from our IMMP Philippines office, with the support of Representative Co. Read about this new legislation to protect endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphin and other Filipino whales and dolphins.
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- Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >
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IMMP opposed the transfer of belugas from Canada's Marineland to US aquariums. This so-called "rescue" has resulted in 30 belugas being moved to marine parks, but one has already died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. How many more will the captivity industry kill?
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Thirty belugas in a closed park in Canada are scheduled to be sent to five aquariums in the US and Spain. IMMP is demanding a better review of their health before moving them and a ban on breeding them in captivity. Read our letter.
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The orcas Wikie and her son Keijo are still trapped in Marineland in France. Marineland wants the orcas to go to Loro Parque Zoo, an aquarium in Spain with one of the worst records of captive orca deaths. IMMP is urging the French government to instead retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia.
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- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >