11 Russian Belugas Head Home, 50 To Go

The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute is one of the lead organizations working globally to help return the Whale Jail whales of Russia to their home in the Sea of Okhotsk and permanently ban such wild captures in Russian waters.

Last Friday, The Russian Fisheries Agency (VNIRO) announced that eleven beluga whales are being moved hundreds of miles from the Whale Jail, east of Vladivostok, to their home waters in the Sea of Okhotsk. The belugas were reportedly picked up on October 18^th and loaded onto a research vessel for transport north.

In the summer of 2018, four Russian companies illegally captured more than 90 orcas and beluga whales for sale to Chinese aquariums. Our colleagues in Russia successfully convinced the Russian government that the captures were illegal, halting the export of the beluga whales and orcas.

President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials announced plans to return the whales to their original homes in response to an international outcry spurred by Russian activists, the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute, and many other national and international organizations, scientists and celebrities.

There have been rumors that Chinese businesses, which paid for the captures and planned on importing 50 beluga whales, have been meeting in Moscow with government officials. It may be no coincidence that 50 beluga whales remain in the Whale Jail. This raises the concern that negotiations could include efforts to send the remaining belugas to China (in clear violation of the law) or to relocate them to Russian aquariums.

Additionally, the annual freeze-over of the Sea of Okhotsk will prevent any further releases for months on end.

On the other hand, a decision to keep the beluga whales in captivity would be a major embarrassment for Russia since President Putin’s pledge received publicity all over the world. One Russian contact reports that the meetings between the government and China are about money and would not interfere with the release plans for the remaining whales.

IMMP is continuing to work on this issue and will post ongoing updates.

Please help us save the whales! We're working to monitor and ensure that the Russian government completes the release of the remaining Whale Jail whales and follows through on their pledge to permanently end cetacean captures in Russia for captivity. We deeply appreciate your support, and we look forward to keeping you informed of continuing developments. Thank you.