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Marine Life In Captivity: Pros & Cons ~ MarineBio Conservation Society

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Marine life has long captivated our imagination and sparked curiosity about the wonders of the underwater world. As a result, the practice of keeping marine

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Aquariums and marine mammal theme parks like SeaWorld, the Miami Seaquarium, and Canada's Marineland are part of a billion-dollar industry built on the suffering of intelligent social beings who are denied everything that's natural and important to them.

Wild orcas and other dolphins live in large, complex social groups and swim vast distances every day in the open ocean. In captivity, they can only swim in endless circles inside tanks that, to them, are the equivalent of bathtubs and they're denied the opportunity to engage in almost any natural behavior. They are forced to perform meaningless tricks and are often torn away from family members when they're shuffled between parks. Many die far short of their species' natural life expectancy.

Families Torn Apart

Countless marine animals (even the original Shamu) were taken from their rightful ocean homes and placed in tanks. Tilikum, the orca who lashed out and killed SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau and two other people, died in a concrete prison 33 years after he was taken away from his Icelandic family. Lolita, torn away from her family when she was just a baby, has spent half a century in the same tank at the Miami Seaquarium. Some countries continue to capture wild dolphins and whales.

Captivity's Tragic Consequences

Frequently housed with incompatible tankmates, dolphins, whales, and other marine mammals are often drugged in order to manage stress-induced aggressive behavior and relieve the endless monotony of swimming in circles. They break their teeth chewing on the metal bars and concrete sides of their tanks and are forced to perform tricks for tourists in exchange for food-all in the name of entertainment.

While wild female orcas can live to be more than 100 years old, orcas at SeaWorld often die by the time they reach their teens and rarely approach even the average life expectancy of wild orcas. More than 40 orcas have died at SeaWorld from causes such as bacterial infections and fractured skulls. More than 300 other dolphins and whales along with approximately 400 pinnipeds have also died at the parks.

While Marineland can no longer breed whales and dolphins or confine new ones-thanks to Canada's recent ban on their captivity-it's still imprisoning the animals currently languishing there. Dozens of dolphins, whales, and walruses have died there-including a walrus named Apollo who recently suffered a heart attack. An orca named Kiska-who was abducted from her family in the ocean as a baby 40 years ago-is confined in isolation and can do nothing but swim in endless circles inside her cramped tank.

The Trouble With 'Interactive' Programs

Touch tanks as well as "swim with dolphins" and "paint with dolphins" programs allow the public to pet, kiss, paint with, or even ride these animals. Such programs invade their already diminished worlds and are intrusive, stressful, and even dangerous for them, as well as being risky for human participants.

Animals in "petting pools" are frequently exposed to foreign bacteria and other pathogens, and they can become anxious, frustrated, aggressive, and even neurotic as a result of being confined to shallow tanks and exposed to constant interaction with humans. Members of the public have been injured at SeaWorld's dolphin-petting pools.

Even programs that enable people to swim with dolphins in nature can be invasive. Boats and swimmers may chase, harass, and scare them, interfering with their natural feeding, resting, migrating, and playing behavior.

Poor Government Regulations

Captive marine mammals have some federal protections in the U.S., but enforcement is lax. There are simply too many animal exhibitors for the limited number of U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors-as of February 2020, there were 104 inspectors for 12,851 facilities. Even when exhibitors are cited for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act, they're rarely assessed fines or meaningful penalties.

Keeping Dolphins Free

In nature, orcas work cooperatively in search of food. They share complex relationships in a matrilineal society and-in some populations-rarely leave their mother's pod. They have group-specific food preferences and behavior. These attributes, along with their pods' unique dialects, are considered a form of culture that is unrivaled by any species other than humans.

Other dolphins, too, maintain dynamic relationships within a large social network. They live with up to a few dozen others in a pod and can swim as many as 60 miles each day and dive to depths of nearly 1,500 feet in nature.

The world is moving away from keeping intelligent, sensitive cetaceans in captivity. In the U.S., the National Aquarium is building the dolphins in its care a seaside sanctuary-a safe ocean cove in which captive marine mammals can be released into a protected area of the sea to dive deep, feel the ocean currents, and finally live like they should, all while still receiving care, food, and veterinary support. Two whales have been moved from a marine park in China to a seaside sanctuary in Iceland, and The Whale Sanctuary Project just announced plans for a seaside sanctuary for rescued orcas and belugas in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Governments around the world are also recognizing that dolphins (including orcas) and other cetaceans do not belong in tanks. Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, and Croatia have all banned the practice of keeping cetaceans in captivity. In 2013, India's Ministry of Environment & Forests banned the practice of keeping dolphins captive for public entertainment. Other countries, including Brazil, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Norway, have highly restrictive standards that make it nearly impossible to keep cetaceans in captivity. The last dolphinarium in the U.K. closed more than 20 years ago.

What You Can Do

Please don't visit marine parks, and never buy tickets to roadside zoos or aquariums that keep ocean animals in captivity. Encourage your local aquarium to create more space for rehabilitating (and releasing) injured wildlife by refusing to breed more animals.

You can also leaflet at local roadside aquariums or marine parks, pressure officials to avoid subsidizing these facilities with taxpayer money, write letters to the editor of local publications, and support legislation that prohibits the capture or restricts the display of marine mammals.
Please join PETA in urging SeaWorld and other marine parks to stop using animals and to relocate the orcas, bottlenose dolphins, and other animals to seaside sanctuaries, where they can thrive in the enrichment and diversity of the sea while still receiving the care that they require.

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Aquariums and Marine Parks are no safe havens for marine mammals like dolphins and whales. Learn more on how you can help animals and not support these facilities.

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The Marine Mammal Protection Act allows marine mammals to be held for public display purposes including importing marine mammals or removing them from the wild for public display. NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises, and whales) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions, excluding walruses). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over all other marine mammal species.

What is NOAA Fisheries' role in public display?

When it comes to public display, NOAA Fisheries:

Maintains the National Inventory of Marine Mammals, which tracks acquisitions (births, wild captures, imports), dispositions (deaths, escapes, releases), transfers (ownership changes) and transports (physical moves) to other facilities.

Are U.S. facilities required to have a permit to keep marine mammals on public display?

No. Permits are not required to maintain marine mammals in public display facilities, such as zoos and aquariums.

However, a scientific research permit is required to conduct intrusive research on captive animals. This includes activities that, in the reasonable judgment of the attending veterinarian, would constitute a risk to the captive animal's health or welfare.​

Additionally, species that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may not be held for public display purposes and may require a scientific research or enhancement permit.

What must a U.S. facility do to have marine mammals on public display?

A facility must meet the following criteria, as outlined by the MMPA:

1. Offer an education or conservation program based on industry standards.

2. Be open to the public on a regularly scheduled basis.

3. Be licensed or registered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) per the Animal Welfare Act.

What is required to import or remove a marine mammal from the wild for public display?

For marine mammals to be imported from foreign countries for public display, or removed from the wild in the United States for public display, the receiving person or facility must apply for and be granted an MMPA public display permit as well as meet the 3 criteria outlined above.

To apply for a permit to import a marine mammal to the United States, or remove a marine mammal from the wild in the United States: link to public display permit page.

What is required to export marine mammals to other countries for public display?

For marine mammals to be exported to foreign countries for public display, the receiving person or facility must meet standards that are comparable to those required of a U.S. facility (see above).

In addition, the appropriate agency of the foreign government (e.g., the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) management authority) must certify that:

1. The information set forth in the application is accurate.

2. The laws and regulations of the foreign government involved allow enforcement of the terms and conditions of the authorization, and that the foreign government will enforce all terms and conditions.

3. The foreign government involved will afford comity to any authorization amendment, modification, suspension or revocation decision.

Marine mammals, including progeny, that are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA, or are designated as depleted under the MMPA, may not be exported to foreign countries for public display.

NOAA Fisheries maintains an inventory of permanently captive marine mammals under our jurisdiction (whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions). Anyone may request information from the National Marine Mammal Inventory database under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), through the FOIA online system . This system allows you to track the progress of your request and retrieve the data electronically. To submit your request, search by NOAA or the Department of Commerce, parent department of NOAA.

Other Resources

Animal Welfare Concerns: Under the Animal Welfare Act, the USDA/ APHIS has jurisdiction over animal care and maintenance for all marine mammals held for public display. This includes space, veterinary care, transport, and public interaction programs.

Permits for Public Display: The 1994 amendments to the MMPA transferred authority over animal care and maintenance to the USDA, APHIS and removed the requirement for facilities to obtain MMPA permits to hold marine mammals for public display. The only permits currently issued for public display are import of marine mammals and collection from the wild (including obtaining releasable stranded animals) ( Section 104 of the MMPA). Depleted or ESA-listed marine mammals may not be held for public display purposes purposes.

Other Marine Mammals: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over polar bears, sea and marine otters, walruses, manatees, and dugongs.

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The Marine Mammal Protection Act allows marine mammals to be held for public display purposes including importing marine mammals or removing them from the wild for public display. NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises, and whales) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions, excluding walruses). The U.S.

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Incidents Between Humans and Orcas in Captivity

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Incidents Between Humans and Orcas in Captivity

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Distinctions between Zoos, Sanctuary, and Rehabilitation Centers

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Distinctions between Zoos, Sanctuary, and Rehabilitation Centers

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For National Zoo Lovers Day, we would like to highlight the different ways that zoos help wildlife in comparison with wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers (like Greenwood). All of them have a similar mission related to helping wild animals but each does this in distinct ways. It is important to be aware of these differences so that you and your family can learn about wildlife and support them in the appropriate ways.

Colorado is lucky to be a haven for wild animals like bear, mountain lion, Fox Squirrel, Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle and so much more. Our state also hosts wildlife beyond the well known native species of Colorado in zoos, sanctuaries, and (temporarily) in wildlife rehab centers!

Zoos

Many folks are familiar with The Denver Zoo. Their facility hosts thousands of animals from all over the world. The main purpose of this zoo and most others is to educate the public on all sorts of wildlife they may never be able to encounter on their own. They have Species Survival Programs that help manage threatened populations. Without these accredited zoos, animals like the California Condor would be completely extinct. Zoo animals will most likely spend the rest of their lives in these enclosures. Zoos like the one in Denver have teams of staff that make sure each animal has the correct diet and enrichment to live a healthy and full life at the zoo.

Sanctuaries

Sanctuaries like The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado are a place for wildlife that cannot survive in the wild on their own. Often times they have been rescued from awful captive situations. More than 25,000 large carnivores live in terrible conditions, like a cage in someone's basement or horrific animal petting programs like the tigers in the new documentary miniseries: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. In fact, some of the tigers that were mistreated there were taken to The Wild Animal Sanctuary. A true sanctuary like the one in Colorado is much like a zoo in that folks can visit to learn about wildlife they may never encounter. The biggest difference between a sanctuary and a zoo is that the animals that reside there were rescued rather than bred. They aren't kept in large glass boxes but rather vast swaths of lands for them to roam, hide, and play.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and others like us, are places where local wild animals that are injured or orphaned recuperate before returning to their wild home. We do not breed animals and they do not stay in our care for long. We strive to keep their wild nature untamed so that they can thrive when they are released. There are wildlife rehabilitation centers all over the world that care for a variety of different animals with the hope that they can be returned to the wild. At Greenwood, visitors do not come to our facility to learn about exotic animals they may never see, because you can observe the animals we care for in outdoor spaces throughout Colorado. We also want these animals to stay wild, therefore we don't want them getting used to seeing humans poking at the glass or paying $.25 to "feed the raccoon". That is not what our mission is about!

All of these organizations have the goal of spreading education and awareness about wildlife, from the animals in our backyard to the ones in exotic places that we may never have the chance to visit. Zoos inspire people to love all sorts of animals from around the globe while ensuring their DNA will be around for future generations. Sanctuaries rescue wildlife that were found in the most unfortunate situations and ensure they live the rest of their life in a more natural and comfortable environment. Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers aid the wildlife that inhabit their surrounding communities and offset human impacts to these animals through education and rehabilitation.

Notice all the amazing things these places do for wildlife when you visit an accredited zoo or sanctuary. Only about 10% of zoos in the U.S. have this accreditation. When the Association of Zoos and Aquariums gives a zoo this honor, you know that the animals there are being cared for at an extremely high standard. Find the accreditation logo on their website before you visit!

If you want to learn more about the animals right here in Colorado, you can always host Greenwood at your school or club function. All of us animal lovers are here to help!

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Distinctions Between Zoo, Sanctuary, and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers

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For National Zoo Lovers Day, we would like to highlight the different ways that zoos help wildlife in comparison with wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers (like Greenwood). All of them have a similar mission related to helping wild animals but each does this in distinct ways.

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Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

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Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

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Non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles in North Carolina

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In recent years, corals have experienced declines due to a combination of factors including coral disease, coral bleaching, high ocean temperatures and human impacts. Waves from storms and hurricanes can break coral colonies or cover them with sediment; algae can overgrow broken corals before they get a chance to recover; increased sea surface temperatures can lead to wide-scale bleaching events; a loss of predators can disrupt food webs; and coral can be vulnerable to extreme predation by fish, sea stars and other invertebrates. Coral reefs are also harmed by anything that affects water quality such as pollution from land runoff or fuel spills.

Coral reefs may recover after exposure to periodic damage; however, if corals experience sustained stress, including those imposed by people, they will have no recovery period and reefs will not be able to bounce back from even small declines.

To learn how your actions can help reduce these threats, view responsible practices.

Climate Change

A diver surveys corals in Biscayne National Park in Florida's Coral Reef.
Attribution: NPS image by Shaun Wolfe

As temperatures rise, mass coral bleaching events and infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent. Additionally, carbon dioxide absorbed into the ocean from the atmosphere has begun to reduce calcification rates in reef-building and reef-associated organisms by altering seawater chemistry and resulting in a decrease in pH.

This process is called ocean acidification.

Climate change is affecting coral reef ecosystems by making the environment they live in more stressful and difficult to reproduce in through sea level rise, changes to the frequency and intensity of tropical storms, marine heatwaves and altered ocean circulation patterns.

Any one of these stressors is a challenge, but when combined, all these impacts dramatically alter ecosystem function and the irreplaceable values that coral reef ecosystems provide to people around the globe.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Florida's Coral Reef is experiencing a multiyear outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD). While disease outbreaks are not uncommon in corals, this event is unique due to its large geographic range, extended duration, rapid progression, high rates of mortality and the number of species affected. The disease can be transmitted to other corals through direct contact and water circulation.

Disease-susceptible coral species collected as part of the coral rescue effort.

First reported in 2014 off the coast of Miami-Dade County, this outbreak has spread throughout Florida's Coral Reef as well as the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Mexico, St. Maarten, U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic.

Key factors of the outbreak are:

It covers a large geographic area.The entirety of Florida's Coral Reef has been affected. As of November 2021, at least 17 countries and territories in the wider Caribbean have been impacted.

It has lasted a long time. The disease has been spreading consistently since 2014. Areas first impacted by the outbreak still show signs of active disease seven years later.

Many coral species are affected.Approximately half of the 45 species of stony coral in Florida are susceptible. This includes five species listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, all major framework builders, and other iconic Caribbean coral species.

There is very high disease prevalence.Within certain species, disease is seen in 66% to 100% of colonies surveyed on affected reefs.

There is very high mortality.Once a coral begins to lose living tissue, most colonies will die within weeks to months. Intervention is not guaranteed to prevent mortality.

Dr. Karen Neely monitors a pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindricus) displaying SCTLD.
Attribution: NSU

image OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The situation is urgent, but it is not too late to preserve and support the recovery of this incredibly important ecosystem.

Response to this outbreak continues to remain highly collaborative and addresses the disease and its impacts on multiple fronts. The response is led by four government agencies: Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Park Service. There are two leadership bodies, eight working groups and over 60 partner organizations working on this effort.

Priority coral disease response activities include:

Coral disease surveys and fixed site monitoring to document the spatial extent, mortality rates and species-specific impacts.

Strategic sampling and laboratory analysis to identify the presence of pathogens potentially responsible for the disease outbreak.

Data management and epidemiological analysis to analyze relevant datasets and determine what factors may influence disease progression.

Intervention experiments and field trials to assess the effectiveness of treatment techniques and prevent the further spread of disease.

Coral rescue efforts to preserve some of the remaining genetic diversity in land-based facilities for future restoration efforts.

Restoration trials to determine where new corals can be outplanted.

Caribbean-wide cooperation including means to limit further spread.

Improvement of overall coral reef environmental conditions to ensure that disease intervention and restoration actions are successful.

Water Quality

Rain falls on land where it hydrates soils, seeps into the ground and recharges Florida's aquifers - our source of drinking water. Rain also flows through canals, streams and rivers, eventually entering the ocean through one of nine coastal inlets in Southeast Florida.

Water is the main link between freshwater wetlands, such as marshes and cypress swamps; coastal habitats, such as mangrove forests and seagrass beds where juvenile fish and crustaceans live and grow; and offshore coral reefs.

Florida's Coral Reef depends on healthy connections among these habitats. As water flows over land, it carries organic matter that provide food and shelter for aquatic life; however, this water also carries pollutants, such as excess nutrients, sediments, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and pesticides, which degrade water quality and impact all the connected ecosystems. These are collectively referred to as land-based sources of pollution.

Land-based sources of pollution are known to affect coral growth and reproduction, have been linked with increased coral disease and bleaching, and contribute to coral reef ecosystem decline in Southeast Florida. Pollution enters the area's coastal and marine waters from many different sources.

Coastal development can directly impact water quality by churning up sediments and increasing turbidity in the water, which reduces the amount of sunlight reaching light-dependent seagrass and corals.

Septic systems contribute nutrients and bacteria to surface and stormwaters. A highly managed system of canals built to manage flooding by redirecting water has created changes in the natural water flow in Southeast Florida and the Everglades. Water flow rerouted to coastal areas transports pollutants from agricultural and urban stormwater runoff to South Florida estuarine and marine habitats.

These pollutants end up on Florida's Coral Reef via tidal exchanges through the canals, estuaries and inlets. Other sources such as wastewater ocean outfalls and groundwater upwelling also contribute directly to the pollution load on Florida's Coral Reef.

Pollution challenges the health of corals, the reef ecosystem and the people who rely on them.

Planned and Unplanned Impacts

Planned impacts occur from coastal construction activities such as infrastructure installation (e.g., cables, pipelines, outfalls); beach renourishment; dredge and fill operations; and construction of seawalls, piers and marinas. Impacts from these activities include direct physical damage to the corals and hardbottom habitat.

Secondary impacts from coastal construction activities can also occur from increases in turbidity and sedimentation. Turbidity is a decrease in water transparency caused by suspended and dissolved material.

Many coral species have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) and depend on clear waters for photosynthesis. Sedimentation occurs when material suspended in the water column is deposited to the seafloor or directly on coral tissue. Reduced light availability from suspended or deposited sediments can inhibit coral symbionts from producing energy. Direct contact with sediments may interfere with coral polyp feeding and cause tissue damage or partial mortality.

Corals remove sediments through mucous production and ciliary action; however, chronic and repeated exposure may cause corals to lose their ability to reject sediments. Other impacts include interference with coral reproduction, reduced fertilization rates, a decreased ability to find a suitable settlement location, and survival of newly settled corals. Unplanned impacts such as vessel groundings, anchoring and cable drag incidents can cause direct damage to the reef.

Florida's Coral Reef is located near a highly urbanized area with multiple ports and prominent shipping and boating industries. Commercial and recreational vessel groundings can cause considerable damage to coral reef substrate, including breakage, fragmentation and direct injury to the reef ecosystem. Additionally, anchors and anchor chains can break or dislodge corals, sponges and sea fans, resulting in immediate and long-term damage to large areas of the coral reef.

Since some species of coral grow only 1 centimeter per year, it can take decades to naturally recover from a direct impact. Anchoring also causes immediate and extensive damage on reef-associated habitats such as seagrass beds, which are important nursery and juvenile habitats for many species.

After a series of vessel groundings and anchoring incidents in the early and mid-2000s, the Florida Legislature recognized the need for increased protection of Florida's Coral Reef.

In 2009, lawmakers passed the Florida Coral Reef Protection Act (CRPA), increasing protection of coral reef resources off the coasts of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties.

The CRPA ensures that appropriate and adequate restoration and/or mitigation is carried out on impacted coral reef resources and that those responsible for damages are held accountable. In addition, the Coral Reef Conservation Program supported local action strategies to reconfigure the offshore commercial anchorage zones, Port Everglades in 2008 and Port Miami in 2017. The reconfigurations have led to a decrease in vessel groundings and anchor impacts on coral reef habitat.

Florida residents and visitors can have a safe and enjoyable time on the water while also protecting important local marine life. Learn more about how anchor and grounding damage can be prevented and minimized by the millions of boaters visiting Florida's Coral Reef every year.

Additional Resources

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In recent years, corals have experienced declines due to a combination of factors including coral disease, coral bleaching, high ocean temperatures and human impacts. Waves from storms and hurricanes can break coral colonies or cover them with sediment; algae can overgrow broken corals before they get a chance to recover; increased sea surface temperatures can lead to [...]

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How do marine animals become entangled?

Many marine animals, like whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, and sea turtles become entangled in fishing gear and other marine debris as they swim or while on the beach. Many objects can entangle marine life, such as fishing gear that is being used to fish both commercially and recreationally, lost or abandoned gear, and other types of rope/line and trash, including plastic bags that find their way into the marine environment.

How does entanglement harm marine animals?

Entanglement of marine life is a global problem that results in the death of hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles worldwide every year. Entangled animals may drown or starve because they are restricted by fishing gear, or they may suffer physical trauma and infections from the gear cutting into their flesh. Entangled animals may also be unable to avoid vessels like they normally would, thus increasing the risk of vessel strikes.

Smaller marine animals, like sea turtles, seals, porpoises, dolphins, and smaller whales, may drown immediately if the gear is large or heavy. Large whales can typically pull gear, or parts of it, off the ocean floor, and are generally not at immediate risk of drowning. But they do face risks from exhaustion and infection. Entanglement is considered a primary cause of human-caused mortality in many whale species, especially right whales, humpback whales, and gray whales.

What is NOAA Fisheries doing to help reduce entanglements?

Our Office of Protected Resources works with entanglement response and stranding network partners around the country to safely free marine mammals and sea turtles from life-threatening entanglements, while also gathering valuable information that can help reduce the frequency and effects of entanglements in the future.

Responders have developed specially designed tools and techniques to disentangle whales and other marine animals, all from the relative safety of small inflatable rescue boats. In addition, we use satellite transmitters and receivers to track an entangled animal over time. This satellite tracking method is especially helpful in relocating entangled whales that cannot be disentangled during the initial response.

Freeing a marine animal in distress can be dangerous, for the animal and the rescuers alike. To safely free large animals, such as whales, rescuers follow whale disentanglement guidelines (PDF) and use a boat-based technique that relies on historic whaling techniques called "kegging." During these disentanglement efforts, rescuers throw grapples or hooks that attach to the gear entangling the whale, and use large buoys to slow the whale down. Once the whale is approachable, rescuers can safely assess the whale and entanglement situation, and attempt to free the animal of all entangling gear. Large leatherback sea turtles, which can measure more than 6 feet long and weigh a ton, are disentangled using similar techniques.

For smaller animals such as dolphins, seals, sea lions, and smaller sea turtles, entanglement response and stranding network partners can capture animals in the water or on the beach and then remove the entanglement. To do this safely, network members are trained in proper techniques for safe capture, restraint, and removal of gear from various marine species. Depending on the type of animal, severity of injury, and circumstances, the animal may need to be evaluated and treated at a permitted rehabilitation facility.

NOAA Fisheries continues to work with numerous partners to minimize or prevent entanglements. Each successful disentanglement provides information to guide gear modifications and management strategies to further reduce threats.

Who is responsible for disentangling marine animals?

Only responders who have been authorized by NOAA Fisheries and who have the training, experience, equipment, and support needed should attempt to disentangle marine animals. Entanglement response efforts also rely on many state and federal agencies (including law enforcement agencies and the Coast Guard), non-governmental organizations, fishermen, and others working together to respond to, and ultimately prevent, entanglements.

In the mid-1990s, a formalized Large Whale Entanglement Response Network was authorized in the United States to respond to reports of entangled large whales. As our partner networks have expanded, they now also respond to entanglements of other marine animals. The NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources coordinates marine mammal entanglement response efforts around the country through the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and federal permitting. Sea turtle disentanglements are coordinated in a similar fashion by NOAA's protected species programs.

Regardless of the species, disentangling marine animals is dangerous, and should only be performed by trained professionals.

What should I do if I see an entangled animal?

If you see an animal that appears entangled or in distress, immediately report it. Real-time reporting helps increase the chance of a successful disentanglement. And it allows wildlife managers and responders to better understand what led to the entanglement, which helps guide future responses.

For large whales that appear to be in distress, please contact the entanglement specialists in your region via the national entanglement response and stranding network. If you are on a boat without access to a cell phone, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 (156.8 Mhz). And always remember to keep your distance-100 yards or more is recommended.

If you encounter an entangled dolphin, porpoise, seal, sea lion, or sea turtle contact your local responders via the national entanglement response and stranding network. After you report an entangled animal, the responding team will determine whether a response is possible.

Here are the steps to follow:

Stay in the boat-never get in the water to help a whale, dolphin, seal, sea lion, or sea turtle.

Note the GPS coordinates of the location of the entangled animal.

Call your local responder via the national entanglement response and stranding network.

Wait for trained, authorized personnel-do not attempt to free an animal on your own.

Monitor the situation-if a response is possible, authorities may ask that you watch the animal from a safe distance (greater than 100 yards and not directly behind the animal).

Document the entanglement-if possible take photos and video of the animal from a safe distance.

What can I do to help prevent entanglement of marine animals?

When fishing or boating, do not leave fishing gear or trash behind. Also consider participating in community clean-up efforts. Whether at the beach, river, or local park, trash can often find its way into the ocean and present an entanglement risk.

How can I learn more about marine life entanglement?

Learn more from NOAA's marine debris program:

Regional resources:

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Entanglement of Marine Life: Risks and Response

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Entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris can be dangerous for marine mammals and sea turtles. Learn how NOAA Fisheries and partners work to prevent entanglements and rescue entangled animals.

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Reducing the Risk of Transporting Invasive Species

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Reducing the Risk of Transporting Invasive Species

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When people sail the sea, marine organisms tag along. If carried long distances, these hitchhikers can invade and disrupt ecosystems far from their natural homes, pushing out the local species. Some invaders catch a ride by attaching themselves to the sides or bottoms of boats. But many more stow away in ships' "ballast tanks."

When a ship leaves port without cargo, it fills large ballast tanks with water to help keep its balance. At the next port, the ship pumps out the water so that it can load up with cargo. Tiny animals in the water get a free ride from one port to another. And with roughly 50 million gallons being emptied into U.S. waters every day, ballast water is one of the biggest transporters of non-native marine species.

In many cases, the newcomers don't take hold. But some species like the veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa), wreak havoc on their newfound homes. The rapa whelk is native to Asia but was transported to the Chesapeake Bay-probably as larvae in a ship's ballast water. These predatory mollusks now pose a serious threat to the Chesapeake clam fishery.

(Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)

Sometimes small, simple steps can go a long way toward solving big problems. Ship captains can help prevent many stow-away species from invading new areas simply by flushing and refilling ballast tanks with water from the open ocean before they arrive in port. In deep water far from the coast, animals flushed out of the ship's tanks are not likely to survive. Similarly, any deep-water organisms brought on board in the new batch of water, are not likely to make a home in shallow coastal waters at the ship's next port.

Scientists have found that this technique can remove more than 90 percent of the tiny animals in ballast tanks. The U.S. and others countries have begun requiring ships to either keep their ballast water on board or flush it thoroughly in deep waters far from the coast. Meanwhile, scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and elsewhere are busy studying other techniques, such filtering or treating ballast water with UV light or heat. They hope that down the line, these techniques will put an end to high-seas hitchhiking altogether.

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Reducing the Risk of Transporting Invasive Species

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When people sail the sea, marine organisms tag along. If carried long distances, these hitchhikers can invade and disrupt ecosystems far from their natural homes, pushing out the local species. Some invaders catch a ride by attaching themselves to the sides or bottoms of boats. But many more stow away in ships' "ballast tanks."

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The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity was first produced in 1995 as a comprehensive resource for the public, the media, scientists, students, and policymakers to learn the various arguments against holding marine mammals for public display in zoos, aquaria, and marine theme parks. Marine mammals-a group of animals that are ecologically tied to the ocean environment-cannot thrive in confinement. No concrete tank or small sea pen can provide an animal with anything close to the complexity of the marine environment. Marine mammals, but especially the larger, wide-ranging predators such as whales, dolphins, and polar bears, simply do not belong in captivity.

The 5 th edition of The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity is now available ( translated versions below). A great deal has happened in the decade since the 4 th edition was published. The 5 th edition has several new chapters and many new endnotes describing research, events, and advances from the past 10 years that offer additional support for our arguments.

Highlights include:

Chapter 1 - Education

The primary justification for the public display of marine mammals is the educational benefit of these exhibits. However, an objective, detailed evaluation of the educational programs offered by a representative selection of marine theme parks and aquaria has still not been conducted, despite at least a decade of awareness of this lack.

At a 2010 congressional oversight hearing on zoo and aquarium educational requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), a representative of the relevant government agency testified that his agency left oversight of educational programs to the public display industry itself, despite the MMPA's directive for government authorities to ensure that education provided by the industry meets professional standards.

In a 2018 international survey, respondents who supported holding cetaceans in captivity were significantly more likely to believe cetacean conservation was not important, which is not consistent with the public display industry's argument that their facilities educate the public about the urgency of conservation efforts.

Chapter 2 - The Conservation/Research Fallacy

Fewer than 5 to 10 percent of zoos and aquaria are involved in substantial conservation programs. The amount spent on these programs is a mere fraction of the income generated by the facilities. Simply exhibiting wildlife is not considered conservation.

Dolphinaria and aquaria often present their marine mammal breeding programs as conservation efforts, but at the same time claim that captive-bred and even long-term captive, wild-caught whales and dolphins cannot be released to the wild because they are "domesticated." These are mutually exclusive positions. Also, very few endangered or threatened marine mammal species are displayed in dolphinaria and even fewer are being successfully bred there. Breeding non-endangered species that will never be released to the wild is not conservation breeding.

In fact, some long-term captive, wild-caught whales and dolphins can be released to the wild successfully, after careful rehabilitation. Several dolphins, in Turkey in 2012 and South Korea in 2013 and 2015, after several years in captivity, have recently been released and tracked over time. They have survived, in the latter case for at least several years, with two females successfully reproducing. It remains to be seen if captive-bred marine mammals can learn sufficient survival skills to become independent in the wild.

Many captive-bred marine mammals are inbred or hybrids (from different populations and even species). Orcas in particular are often highly inbred, the result of matings between uncles and nieces, sons and mothers, and half-siblings. These products of incest would never be candidates for release; therefore, again, such breeding is not for conservation purposes.

Husbandry practices in most zoos, dolphinaria, and aquaria frequently separate offspring from their mothers long before they would separate from each other in the wild. This has resulted in many captive-bred animals' lacking essential survival and reproductive skills.

Despite a recent surge in captive marine mammal research in the last decade, it remains the case that only a small percentage-less, and often far less, than 15 percent-of the research being conducted on marine mammals utilizes captive animals as study subjects.

Chapter 3 - Live Captures

While many members of the general public believe it is a thing of the past, live captures of free-ranging marine mammals, particularly whales and dolphins, continue. The capture hotspots in 2019 are Russia (belugas and orcas) and Japan (multiple dolphin species). The principle market today is China, where the number of ocean theme parks is rapidly expanding-with the number of operational facilities growing from 39 in 2015 to 76 in early 2019.

Drive-caught animals of several species are found in Japanese and other Asian dolphinaria, and at least 105 facilities in 20 countries have sourced Taiji dolphins for public display over the years. Although drive-caught animals have not been directly imported into the United States for more than 25 years, these animals are still found at swim-with facilities frequented by American tourists.

A population of orcas in the Pacific Northwest of the United States was declared endangered in 2005 and has shown no recovery as of 2019. This is partly because an entire generation (at least 53 juveniles), many of whom would have contributed offspring to the population over the past decades, is simply missing, removed in the 1960s and 1970s for public display. Only two of these captured whales remain alive in marine theme parks today.

Chapter 4 - The Physical and Social Environment

Field research over the past 15 years has determined that most species of marine mammal, especially whales and dolphins, range more widely over time, travel farther daily, and routinely dive deeper than was previously believed, before the advent of advanced technology (including GPS tracking, dive monitors, underwater cameras, and drones). Yet the standards globally, including in the United States, for captive enclosure size for these oceanic mammals have not been revised or improved in response to this increasing body of science.

Marine mammals are unique when it comes to captive wildlife because of their oceanic habitat. Captive enclosures cannot simulate the complexity of the ocean and coasts. Enclosure sizes are generally less than one-ten thousandths of 1 percent of natural habitat range.

Despite the elimination of traveling dolphin shows in most of the world, they still exist in parts of Asia. Indonesia still has four such traveling shows, where dolphins are trucked from venue to venue and forced to perform in hastily set-up plastic pools filled with freshwater and table salt.

Tanks are barren and lack texture and features that engage the interest of the marine mammals held in them. Sea pens are sometimes better, but often located in areas with poor water quality.

Dolphin sea pen enclosures in Asia and the Caribbean are considered to be at extreme risk from hurricanes and tsunamis. Their construction also degrades coastal habitat, destroying mangroves and damaging coral reefs.

While the rate of expansion of swim-with-dolphin attractions in the Caribbean has slowed in the past decade, new facilities continue to be built. Several dolphin facilities in the Wider Caribbean Region have been severely damaged or destroyed by increasingly massive hurricanes (the 2017 season was particularly destructive), the result of climate change.

A 2017 review of sea otters in captivity notes that the space provided even this small marine mammal is not typically sufficient for the animals' needs.

The US Department of Agriculture proposed updating its captive marine mammal regulations in 2016, yet these updates did not include expanding the space requirements for any species. Regardless, as of 2018, the proposal was no longer being considered for finalization and the US regulations remain 35 years out of date.

Chapter 5 - Animal Health Issues and Veterinary Care

Studies examining health records over multiple years have been published in the past decade and have identified several health conditions afflicting marine mammals at higher rates in captivity than in the wild. The public display industry addresses the symptoms of these conditions rather than determining the causes and preventing the conditions from developing in the first instance.

Animal health records and necropsy (animal autopsy) results are treated as proprietary information, rather than valuable scientific data. Access to this information is therefore strictly controlled by the public display industry, rather than made available openly to the research community.

One 2014 study determined that a captive male orca spent almost 70 percent of his time nearly motionless. This is in contrast to recent studies, from 2011, 2012, and 2013, showing free-ranging orcas may travel up to 140 miles a day for up to 30-40 days without rest.

Captive marine mammals often damage their teeth by chewing, or rubbing their teeth on, concrete tank walls and floors and biting down on metal gates. Walruses often have their tusks removed entirely to prevent tusk breakage and orcas routinely grind their teeth down to the gum line from these behaviors.

Chapters 6 and 7 - Behavior and Stress

Captive facilities often provide marine mammals with plastic and rubber "toys" and ropes and claim these enrich their lives. However, these inanimate objects are often ignored and almost no research has been conducted over the years to confirm whether the animals actually engage with them in any meaningful way.

Increased frequency and intensity of aggressive interactions are often seen in the artificial social groups of captivity.

Chapter 8 - Cetacean Intelligence

Cetaceans demonstrate self-awareness and indicate an ability to understand abstract concepts. Their social interactions are complex and they have long memories. A 2012 review concluded "that dolphins have exhibited considerable evidence of high-level cognitive ability and understanding-with higher levels of awareness of self and others than exhibited by human toddlers."

Chapter 9 - Mortality and Birth Rates

Bottlenose dolphins face a six-fold increase in risk of mortality immediately after capture from the wild and immediately after every transfer between facilities. They never become accustomed to transport, and the stress they experience can be fatal.

Survivorship rates have improved for marine mammals, including cetaceans, over the past three decades. However, the lowest mortality rates for captive bottlenose dolphins are seen in the US Navy program. These dolphins live in sea pens and spend time outside those pens in the open ocean (trained to follow boats and return when called), swimming in straight lines and diving deeply.

While survivorship has also improved for orcas, they continue to live shorter lives in captivity than in the wild.

Zoos and aquaria argue that captivity keeps wildlife safe from predators, pollution, parasites, and food shortages, and offers veterinary care. Despite this, no marine mammal species is known to definitively live longer in captivity than in the wild. Public display proponents cannot have it both ways-either captivity is safer and marine mammal life spans should be clearly longer in captivity than in the wild, or something in captivity kills marine mammals with an efficiency at least equal to, and often greater than, that of wild hazards. One obvious culprit in captivity is persistent stress from confinement and artificial social structures.

Marine mammals in captivity have a history of premature deaths from a variety of causes, including drowning, ingesting foreign objects, and attacks from other animals. Several causes, including mosquito-borne illness and skull fractures from jumping out onto concrete decks, are unique to captivity.

Chapter 10 - Human-Dolphin Interactions

Injuries in interactive encounters (whether swim-with-dolphin encounters, feeding sessions, or the like) occur far more frequently than officially reported.

Several tourism companies, including TripAdvisor and Virgin Holidays, have ceased or restricted their promotion of swim-with-dolphin attractions in the past five years, due to concerns about swimmer safety and dolphin welfare.

Chapter 11 - Risks to Human Health

The risk of disease transmission or injury to the public or to caretakers from marine mammals is significant. Infection through close contact with people also threatens captive marine mammals. Additional research has led to an expansion of the number of pathogens that are known to be transmissible between marine mammals and people (in many cases, in both directions).

Captive orcas have killed four people (three trainers and one member of the public) and injured dozens of others. In contrast, no one has ever been recorded being killed by free-ranging orcas, despite their fearsome reputation, and the small number of reported injuries (in cases where the orcas apparently mistook people for prey) have been relatively minor. This difference is no doubt due to the unnatural proximity between people and orcas in captivity, but demonstrates why it is unwise to treat these top predators as pets.

The California employee safety agency, after investigating an orca attack at SeaWorld San Diego in 2006, predicted a trainer would be killed sooner than later by a captive orca. SeaWorld objected strenuously to this and the agency retracted the statement. Within four years, two trainers were killed by SeaWorld orcas, nine weeks apart.

Chapter 12 - The Blackfish Legacy

Within a year of publishing the 4th edition of this report in 2009, a trainer was killed at SeaWorld Orlando by Tilikum, then SeaWorld's largest orca, a male who weighed 12,000 lbs. This was not an accident; Tilikum pulled the trainer into the tank, broke her neck, and dismembered her. Only after this occurred did the public learn that another trainer, working with SeaWorld whales on loan to a facility in the Canary Islands (a territory of Spain), was also killed, by a male orca unrelated to Tilikum. Keto, a young male, slammed his trainer against the walls of the tank and crushed his sternum.

SeaWorld was cited by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the death of the Orlando trainer, assigned the highest level of accountability ("willful"), and assessed the maximum fine. SeaWorld sued to overturn this citation; an administrative law judge (ALJ) upheld the citation after a 9-day hearing and SeaWorld's appeal of this ruling failed. SeaWorld did not take the case to the Supreme Court and the original ruling stands. The ALJ did lower the level of accountability to "serious," one level below "willful," but he also ruled that "waterwork"-getting in the water with the whales for performances-was unsafe and prohibited it. This prohibition remains.

A book examining these events and the controversy surrounding marine mammal captivity, Death at SeaWorld by David Kirby, was published in July 2012. One year later, a documentary, Blackfish, premiered in theaters. In October 2013, it aired on CNN and was re-broadcast multiple times. It is estimated that, by the end of 2013, over 20 million people had viewed the documentary.

As a result of the impact Blackfish had on the public, several companies ended decades-long partnerships with SeaWorld, sports teams canceled sponsorship agreements, and music acts declined to perform at the SeaWorld parks. Visitorship, stock price, and revenue dropped. This became known as "The Blackfish Effect."

California passed legislation in 2016 to ban the breeding of captive orcas and their import into the state. At the same time, SeaWorld pledged to end the breeding of captive orcas in all their parks; the orcas they held at that time would be the last generation of whales displayed at SeaWorld. They also retooled their theatrical shows to be more educational and increased their contributions to conservation initiatives in the wild.

The future of captive marine mammals is sanctuary-authentic sanctuaries that offer more natural surroundings and a retirement from performance. Several seaside sanctuary projects are underway and will be operational within the next three years.

While in the West, the Blackfish Effect has shifted the debate on captive marine mammals-it is now solidly mainstream-the expansion of the public display industry in the East is still a challenge for those who seek to protect the welfare of captive marine mammals.

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The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity

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The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity was first produced in 1995 as a comprehensive resource for the public, the media, scientists, students, and policymakers to learn the various arguments against holding marine mammals for public display in zoos, aquaria, and marine theme parks.