Georgia’s Baby Beluga Battle

[n2doc]

In the coming days, the fate of 18 beluga whales in a research facility on the Russian coast of the Black Sea will be decided by a single U.S. District judge in Atlanta. It’s a peculiar predicament and one that reveals the complex legal and moral issues surrounding whale captivity.

In June 2012, the Georgia Aquarium filed a permit application with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA) to transfer the 18 belugas—which had been collected by Russian scientists in the Sea of Okhotsk in the late 2000s and early 2010s—to its Atlanta facility and to several other aquariums in the United States, including three SeaWorld theme parks.

But the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972 forbids the importation of marine mammals into the United States without a special permit that can be issued for purposes of scientific research, public display, photography, or conservation. In order to acquire a permit, facilities like the Georgia Aquarium must run a conservation and education program and meet certain conditions pertaining to the capture and transfer of the animals.

At the time of filing, Georgia Aquarium’s application was “the first application for a permit to import recently caught wild marine mammals” that NOAA Fisheries had received in over 20 years.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/18/georgia-s-baby-beluga-battle.html

[Duppers]

1. I'm hopeful that Judge AmyTotenberg will

Make the right decision. Anyone appreciating and respecting these cetaceans knows what that decision should be.

Interesting is the fact that Amy Totenberg is Nina Totenberg's sister.