Marine mammals in captivity

Jump right in! A "dolphinarium" petition directed to the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) created by the Future Centre Trust (FCT) was all over my facebook recently and has sparked the idea for this post. It also made me think quite a bit more than regular on this issue and how I feel about it.  If you care to read on, you will see where I currently stand. 

In my opinion, the petition has garnered fantastic support and gives hope for public pressure creating change. We definitely need to see more of this in Barbados where the people can make a change and this petition has proved that many people are passionate about issues such as this and is a great step in the right direction. However, from my knowledge the petition should be directed to the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) and the Minister for Planning (the prime minister) as these agencies are in charge of approval for planning. CZMU  serves a very important advisory role but has already given their expertise advice to the relevant agencies and thus this issue is out of their hands as they do not approve planning. 

With that being said, let's swiftly move along and get to the point, something I haven't mastered as yet. The main issue of my post is not the petition but rather the main theme of marine mammals and more specifically dolphins in captivity as this species is more relevant to the proposed "dolphinarium". Digressing a bit here to give a greater picture on this issue- there is very little public information on the dolphinarium, simply it being announced at an event and later an article in a newspaper so will stick to this limited information given to the public.

Bottlenose dolphin calf in the Bahamas. Image via moi

However, the dolphins would probably be of the bottlenose species type (Tursiops truncatus) so here are some quick facts on them to get you further oriented: 

• These dolphins are well known as the intelligent, charismatic and friendly species often due to their "smiling" appearance as a result of mouth structure and their playful behaviour
• They travel in social groups and communicate with each other by a complex system of squeaks and whistles (echolocation).
• They can weigh up to over 1000 lbs with an average adult length ranging from approx 8-12 feet with males often being larger
• They have a lifespan of 20-40 years with gestation period being 12 months
• An adult can consume from 15-30 lbs per day (fish, squid, crustaceans)
• They can travel great distances often at fast speeds of up to 18 miles per hour!
• Dolphins must consciously swim to the surface to breathe through their blowhole
• This also means that they can never fully sleep and that half of their brain must remain active 

Under the sea. Image by me.

So why do I not like the idea of dolphins in captivity?

The point is that I am against dolphins in captivity and in this location for many reasons, with the main and underlying one being more of an animal rights/ethics issue:

• These species would be in a very unnatural habitat 
• Would have been accustomed to swimming great distances, playing and foraging and would have been removed from tightly knit pods (if not captive bred)
• The capture and transportation can be traumatic
• They require shade and greater depths than shallow pools or sea
• There is lack of capacity for vet care and appropriate housing 
• They can cause damage to humans through bites, ramming, disease
• What about damage to their area during a hurricane?
• This area is also very close to a prime hawksbill turtle nesting area
• Near to a sewage outfall
• People may argue that it is educational but would this really be education if the mammals are in an unnatural habitat performing odd behaviours?
• Bad for tourism: most places are moving away from this and we would move towards it?

Getting a little more technical now: Furthermore, Barbados has ratified the SPAW Protocol. This is the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region.  Annex II lists animal species that are designated for total protection and recovery. Since we have ratified this protocol, we must abide to this (just another reason why this should not happen). 

If you are not yet convinced why marine mammals should not be in captivity, watch Blackfish.

This is an extremely powerful documentary and a great way to end this post with a boom!

Until next time which will hopefully be in the near future,

Nikola*