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Tell NMFS to Deny Mystic Aquarium's Request to Import Beluga Whales from Canada

Dear John,

In a move that threatens to undermine a host of legal protections guaranteed to marine mammals in the United States and Canada, Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut has applied for a permit to import five captive-born beluga whales from Marineland in Canada. If the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) grants this permit, these animals would be on public display at Mystic Aquarium and likely Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, as well as possibly other facilities throughout the United States.

All five of these whales are descended from the Sakhalin Bay-Nikolaya Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales--the same stock that NMFS designated as depleted in 2016 ([link removed]) following a petition from AWI ([link removed]). The US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibits the import for public display of marine mammals from depleted populations and their descendants. In Mystic's permit application to NMFS ([link removed]), it seeks to circumvent this legal prohibition by claiming that "incidental" public display is allowed when a marine mammal from a depleted population is to be imported for research. This is not so. Allowing this import would create a massive loophole in the MMPA's prohibition against the import of depleted marine mammals for public display.

This move also threatens to undermine Canada's new federal law that bans whales, dolphins, and porpoises (cetaceans) from being bred or held in captivity, except for animals already in captivity, animals being rehabilitated from injury, or animals held for licensed scientific research. Mystic has made it clear that it would allow these imported whales to breed, which directly contradicts the intent of Canada's law to phase out the captivity of cetaceans.

Mystic Aquarium's partner in this endeavor, Georgia Aquarium, tried unsuccessfully to import 18 wild-caught belugas from the same Russian population only a few years ago ([link removed]). At the time, Georgia Aquarium argued the imports would help conservation of belugas in the wild, but the science indicated otherwise. The aquarium tried to spin the data and challenged NMFS's decision to deny the permit, but Judge Amy Totenberg ruled firmly against Georgia Aquarium. We are astounded that Mystic is putting its more credible reputation on the line by working with Georgia Aquarium in what appears to be its "Plan B" to get more belugas into the United States, once again in the name of conservation.

Take Action! ([link removed])

What You Can Do
NMFS needs to hear from you! The agency is currently accepting comments on the proposed import. On or before the December 2 deadline, please urge the agency to deny the permit application. You may submit pre-written comments via AWI's website ([link removed]).(Note: When you submit comments through AWI's website, your name and comments will be publicly viewable on the official comment page at Regulations.gov.) You may also submit free-form comments via the federal e-Rulemaking Portal ([link removed]).

Public comments on the permit application must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 2, 2019, to be considered.

Please be sure to share our "Dear Humanitarian" eAlert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to contact NMFS, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

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Photo by Antony Pranata

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 | www.awionline.org ([link removed])

The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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