Jason Etok calls for whales to be released into Arctic water to save them from financially troubled amusement park
A Nunavik man says Inuit leaders should step in to provide habitat to 30 beluga whales at Marineland that are at risk of being euthanized because the amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ont. can’t afford to keep them.
Jason Etok, who lives in Montreal but grew up in Kangiqsualujjuaq, suggested the whales can be reintegrated into the wild in areas such as the Hudson Bay, Ungava Bay or the St Lawrence River.
“I believe they could survive if they were to be put into the wild with the assistance of trainers that could provide them with nourishments or maybe guidance,” Etok said in an interview Monday — as the clock ticked down on Marineland’s warning.
The Niagara Falls amusement park asked the federal government in a letter Friday for financial support to care for the belugas, warning that it will be forced to euthanize them if it didn’t receive aid by Oct. 7.
That came after Marineland’s permit to export the begulas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a theme park in China, was denied by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
The 2019 Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act bans the keeping of whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity or for being used for entertainment. The federal government can issue permits to import and export the mammals only for scientific purposes or if it’s deemed to be in the animals’ best interests.
In an Oct. 1 statement obtained by Nunatsiaq, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said her decision follows the regulations in the Fisheries Act to protect marine mammals from exploitation.
“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in captivity [for the whales] and a return to public entertainment,” she said.
Etok’s idea, though challenging, is not impossible, said Tommy Palliser, executive director of the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, which oversees the co-management of wildlife in northern Quebec.
“It would be a challenge if they’ve always been living in captivity, but belugas are said to be one of the smartest mammals,” Palliser said in an interview Tuesday.
“It would be interesting to see if there’s any chance they would survive.”
Palliser said the whales could be added to stocks in regions that are in decline.
The Eastern Hudson Bay stock of belugas is designated threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
“It would be interesting to release these 30 belugas and help repopulate these Eastern Hudson Bay belugas,” Palliser said.
Palliser said if Marineland’s belugas were relocated to Hudson Bay, the whales would be eligible to be hunted by Inuit, under the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims agreement. But that risk would be fairly low because the beluga harvest is regulated, he added.
The Nunavik wildlife board, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, have been managing the Eastern Hudson Bay Stock by reducing harvest levels and closing key areas.
If Marineland were to take that option, Palliser said arrangements would need to be made with Makivvik Corp., the Inuit organization that protects the rights and interests of Nunavik Inuit.
Nunatsiaq News reached out to Makivvik to ask if it would take the whales under its care, but the corporation hadn’t responded as of Tuesday afternoon.
In response to Marineland’s request for funding, Thompson said in a letter Monday the responsibility to care for the whales falls on the amusement park.
“The fact that Marineland has not planned for a viable alternative despite raising these whales in captivity for many years, does not place the onus on the Canadian government to cover your expenses,” she said.
Thompson encouraged Marineland to work with the province of Ontario to address its concerns about the welfare of the whales.
Under the Ontario Progressive Animal Welfare Services Act, the provincial government can intervene, remove the animals and ensure they receive proper care.
Thompson said she remains open to consider any other permit requests if they are in the best interest of the whales.
In an email statement to Nunatsiaq on Tuesday, Marineland did not address the idea of releasing the whales into the wild but said it’s working with the provincial government “to find a suitable solution that ensures the health and wellbeing” of the belugas.