Few visitors to dolphinariums (aquariums, theme parks, or tourist attractions with dolphins or other cetaceans used in shows or swim-with encounters) pause to consider where the animals came from. Those who do may believe they are rescued animals or were born in captivity. Though often true, there are regions where this is rarely the case. Captive breeding of cetaceans is difficult, and many whales and dolphins currently in captivity around the world were deliberately captured—not rescued—from the wild. Even for bottlenose dolphins, orcas, and beluga whales—the three species for which there has been some breeding success—self-sustaining breeding populations do not exist, and "new blood" is needed from the wild to supplement gene pools.
Dolphins and other small cetaceans are still captured from the wild for confinement in dolphinariums; despite what the dolphinariums say, this practice is not a thing of the past. Captures are inhumane and often very violent, with animals routinely injured and killed in the struggle to subdue and separate an animal from his or her family unit. Fear, panic and flight are natural responses by any animal being hunted, chased, trapped, and roughly handled. The mortality risk for bottlenose dolphins increases six-fold immediately after a capture.
Capture Methods
Various techniques are used to capture cetaceans, depending on the species and the depth of the water. The most popular capture method is by seine net—a large fish net that is positioned vertically in the water column with weights at the bottom and floats at the top. The seine is used in conjunction with a high-speed boat or boats to chase a pod of animals into shallow waters and encircle them with the net. The net is then closed around the animals and pulled very tightly at the bottom, trapping the animals in a “purse.” The animals thrash around and may become entangled or drown. They are then manhandled into slings and hauled on board a capture vessel or herded into shallow sea cages.
Hoop nets are also used to capture dolphins who bow-ride or swim close to boats. A hand-held hoop attached to a breakaway net is lowered over the head and entangles the animal when he or she moves away. The dolphin is then hoisted into the boat.
Probably the most brutal capture method is the drive hunt, whereby pods of animals, once spotted, are chased and driven toward shore using boats and noise. Bays with narrow necks are typically chosen so that once close to shore, a net can be extended across the mouth, cutting off escape. Once confined, the exhausted animals are scrutinized for suitability for captivity while the rest are either butchered for meat and other products, or occasionally freed to an unknown fate.
Holding and Transport
Once captured, animals are held until they can be transported to a final destination. Holding conditions can be very crude and may consist of only a wet sling in a boat, or a small sea pen or makeshift tank lined with plastic and lacking a proper filtration system. In Russia, there was a permanent sea-pen holding facility near the village of Nakhodka in the Sea of Okhotsk, known as the “whale jail.” It was dismantled only in 2019, after the law was changed in Russia to prohibit, at least for now, the capture of orcas and belugas from Russian waters.
Small motorboats are usually used to move animals from the ocean to the shore. For short distances, animals are transported by trucks in wet slings. For longer distances, animals are kept in slings and crated and moved by air. The physiological effects of confining and moving ocean-dwelling animals great distances via ground transport or pressurized airplanes are largely unknown, but the stressful impacts are being documented by an increasing number of studies.
Times Are Changing
Live cetacean captures still take place, especially as demand for dolphinariums continues in countries with growing economies such as China. However, there is a growing awareness that capturing and keeping cetaceans in captivity is inhumane. Many countries have banned live captures in their waters, as well as imports, exports and/or captivity altogether.
The following countries do not allow (or are phasing out) the display of cetaceans for entertainment: Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary (achieved through a trade ban), India, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Slovenia, and Switzerland (achieved through a trade ban). States, provinces, counties, and municipalities have done the same, including Barcelona, Spain; California, United States (orcas only); Malibu County, California, United States; Maui County, Hawaii, United States; Mexico City, Mexico; New South Wales, Australia; and South Carolina, United States. Several of these jurisdictions had no dolphinariums to begin with.
Other countries have banned or restricted the trade in live cetaceans, including Argentina (imports from the Russian Federation prohibited); Brazil (ban on imports and exports); Chile (prohibits the import and export of dolphins for public display); Costa Rica (imports and exports prohibited); Cyprus (imports prohibited); Dominican Republic (orca imports prohibited); Hungary (imports prohibited); India (imports prohibited); Malaysia (no trade); Mexico (trade in wild-caught cetaceans prohibited); Solomon Islands (exports prohibited); Switzerland (imports prohibited); and the United States (imports of wild-caught cetaceans strictly regulated). A number of countries (including several of those above) ban or strictly regulate live captures in their exclusive economic zones. Russia prohibited the live capture of cetaceans for international trade in 2018.
In a number of cases, municipal, provincial, and national governments have decided not to allow a dolphinarium or a cetacean exhibit to be built. Furthermore, some countries have implemented strict regulations for the keeping of cetaceans in captivity. Among these are Brazil, Luxembourg, Norway, and the United Kingdom; the United Kingdom used to have as many as 30 dolphinariums and now has none. Italy has banned swim-with encounters and other human-dolphin interactions.