VANCOUVER -- Protesters gathered outside the Vancouver Aquarium for the fifth straight year on Saturday calling for an end to cetaceans in captivity, and this year they may get their way.
The Empty the Tanks rally is an annual event held at sites across the globe demanding aquariums and marine parks release whales, dolphins and porpoises held captive for the purposes of research, education or entertainment.
Organizer Jeff Matthews said this year's event was particularly important because of a pending Vancouver Park Board decision to ban the aquarium from bringing in any new cetaceans to the facility.
While animal rights activists have been calling for a ban for many years, Matthews said the issue gained traction in recent months following the death of two beluga whales, named Qila and Aurora, last fall.
"I think it's woken a lot of people up to the reality of captivity and that these animals don't do well in confined spaces like this, and if they're going to be in captivity they need to be in more amenable situations like sea pen sanctuaries," Matthews said.
The aquarium has said it plans to phase out its cetacean program by 2029, but intended to bring in more belugas for its Canada Arctic exhibit that is currently being developed.
In a statement issued by aquarium president John Nightingale last week, he said a ban would hinder marine mammal rescue efforts because injured animals that can no longer be left in the wild would have to be euthanized.
But Matthews said sea pen sanctuaries that are built in open water offer a viable alternative, and is a model embraced by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD.
The park board's proposed bylaw change will be voted on by commissioners Monday and if approved would bring in the ban immediately, but allow the aquarium to keep three cetaceans already at the facility.
The ban would also prohibit performances or shows involving the three remaining cetaceans at the facility, a spectacle the aquarium has said it does not offer anyway.
Board chair Michael Wiebe said Friday that while he isn't certain how commissioners will vote on the proposal, given the time and effort put into drafting the bylaw amendment, he predicts it will be approved.
Some protesters see the proposed bylaw changes as a victory, but Matthews said they remain concerned because previous bans considered by the park board have failed to materialize.
"All of us are going in with a bit of trepidation," he said. "At the same time, we've read the proposed bylaw and we think it really is absolutely fantastic... and I think it's crafted in a way that its a challenge to the aquarium to become better, and that's what we've been fighting for."
