Russia Can Capture 10 Orcas From The Wild This Year, Defying All Scientific Recommendations Despite recommendations from scientists and conservationists, the Russian Federal Fisheries department has issued a quota of 10 wild orcas that can be captured from the wild this year -- a shocking number given the backlash against orcas in captivity in the U.S. and other countries in the aftermath of the documentary “Blackfish.” While a team of independent scientists recommended that the Russian government not allow for the capture of any orcas, the government instead followed the recommendations of another agency altogether, the Pacific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO). While no whales have been captured this year, a dangerous precedent has already been set. “We know that 2 orcas died as a result of capture in 2003, and that 7 were successfully caught in 2012/2013., Colleen Weiler, a fellow at Whale and Dolphin Conservation says. “These captures are also happening in a very remote part of the world where there few people to speak up for them and even fewer to defend them. What we don’t know is how many attempts were made and how many orcas died in the process of those attempts, often by inexperienced fishermen, in the years between 2003 and 2012.” The captures are driven by demand for orcas in Asia and Russia, where dolphinariums and marine parks are part of a burgeoning industry -- and happen to be locations where SeaWorld may expand. But, according to Weiler, the only way to prevent captures like this from happening in the future is to curb the demand now. “If the demand for performing animals in these countries was not there, these captures would likely not occur,” she said. Writes Erich Hoyt, a research fellow and co-director of the Far East Russia Orca Project at WDC: I think that it is high time that the Russian Fisheries and the aquariums holding these whales make this information public and transparent. At the same time, they must take the only prudent course of action which is to postpone any more captures until substantial studies on the abundance, distribution, existence of ecotypes and populations in the Okhotsk Sea and the Russian Far East have been completed. You can sign a petition calling on the end of wild cetacean captures in Russia here. SeaWorld and marine parks profit off keeping orcas and other marine animals in captivity -- despite evidence that captivity not only induces unnatural behaviors in whales, but also endangers trainers. Join us in pledging never to visit SeaWorld or other marine parks until they empty their orca tanks. https://thedodo/russia-will-capture-10-orcas-f-633307207.html
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:17:57 +0000
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