Updates on Key Dolphin and Whale Issues

By Mark J. Palmer

Another Released Russian Orca Spotted:

A BBC film crew encountered a pod of wild orcas in the Russian Pacific Ocean and spotted one orca with a radio tag swimming with the pod. This is the third orca of ten released to be spotted with their wild kin. They were freed from the notorious “Whale Jail” in 2019 through the work of Russian activists, international pressure, and the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute. Two other released orcas were previously documented to have joined wild pods, a good sign that the release was effective for the captive orcas that were held for many months in the small Whale Jail before being released.

In all, 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales, destined for sale to Chinese aquariums, were rescued by the Russian government and returned to the Pacific. IMMP coordinated with grassroots leaders and scientists in Russia along with organizing international opposition from marine mammal scientists, celebrities, and organizations to help convince the Russian government to intervene and release the captive whales.

The Whale Jail is now closed, but Russia has not yet acted to end wild captures of cetaceans, as pushed by the Russian environmental community.

Marine Mammal Protection Act at 50:

IMMP staff member Mark J. Palmer attended the Washington DC reception, co-sponsored by IMMP and other organizations of the MMPA Coalition, for the 50^th anniversary of the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Palmer also met with several members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, urging: support for the SWIMS Act; future amendments to strengthen the MMPA: an end to California’s last drift gill net fishery; and opposing amendments to widen oil and gas leasing and drilling on land and sea proposed by Senator Joe Manchin. A week later, Manchin withdrew his amendments in the face of strong opposition, but he will likely be back.

Norway and Iceland End Whale Slaughter Season:

Norway and Iceland, the two countries with Japan that continue to promote commercial whaling despite an international moratorium, have ended their summer whaling season in the North Atlantic.

Norway, now the biggest killer of whales, slaughtered a whopping 580 minke whales, despite problems with how to sell the meat to consumers that are increasingly against eating whale meat. 350 tons of the meat has been exported to Japan so far in 2022.

Iceland, meanwhile, despite indications that the government might end the whaling permits, slaughtered 148 rare fin whales. The fin whale, the second largest whale on Earth, is still considered “endangered” worldwide under the US Endangered Species Act.

IMMP has joined three other organizations urging letters to Iceland's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries urging her to end issuing whaling permits.

Tokitae (Lolita) Has Chronic, Unknown Infection:

Tokitae, the captive orca who has been at the Miami Seaquarium for 52 years, continues suffering from a chronic infection of unknown origin. Tokitae is also known by the name Lolita. Many organizations, including IMMP, hope that Tokitae can return to her home waters of the Pacific Northwest, but she seems to do poorly when not on a regimen of antibiotics.

Meanwhile, the orca population of the Pacific Northwest continues to dwindle, down to 73 animals according to current research. Their tenuous survival has been heavily impacted by being depleted in the 1960s and 70s by SeaWorld and other companies grabbing young orcas for captivity. Additionally, their food resources are increasingly limited due to declining salmon populations. Toxic chemicals, which bioaccumulate in these apex predators, also challenge the health and future of orca pods.

Orca Die-Off in Spain’s Loro Parque:

Over the past 18 months, three captive orcas have died at young ages in the Loro Parque marine park, located on Tenerife in the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The park, closely associated with SeaWorld in the US, has had at least one trainer killed by a captive orca. There is not one record of a wild orca ever harming a human.

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Dolphins and whales do not belong in captivity. Nor should we be slaughtering them for food. They are intelligent, sentient animals that deserve to be left alone in the wild. They help circulate nutrients in ocean ecosystems and help sequester carbon dioxide.

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The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute needs your help to end captivity and slaughter of whales and dolphins. Your donations are critical to help these amazing beings. Thank you for your support!