Canada blocks Marineland beluga export to China

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson has refused Marineland of Canada’s request to export 30 beluga whales to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium in China, saying the move would have prolonged the animals’ lives in captivity and returned them to public entertainment. The decision, announced this week, affects the last captive belugas in Canada and leaves the Niagara Falls park seeking alternatives as it grapples with financial strain and the animals’ immediate care.

Thompson said the denial is rooted in the Fisheries Act and the 2019 Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, which bans the use of cetaceans for entertainment and prohibits their import and export except in narrowly defined circumstances such as scientific research or when a transfer is in the animals’ best interest. Approving the permit would have meant continued captivity, she told reporters, adding she is open to other decisions focused on the whales’ health and wellbeing. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has also noted a proposed whale sanctuary project in Nova Scotia is not operational.

Marineland’s owners responded that the minister’s decision leaves them in a precarious position and effectively...