Canada Approves Export of 28 Beluga Whales from Closed Marineland to U.S. Aquariums

Twenty-eight beluga whales will relocate from Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to accredited aquariums in the United States after federal officials approved an emergency import earlier this month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the relocation order in July to provide medical treatment unavailable in Canada.

The agency stated no other Canadian facilities can deliver the required husbandry or care.

The whales are scheduled to go to SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, the Georgia Aquarium, and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Two additional whales will travel to Oceanografic Valencia in Spain once Spanish permits are secured. Marineland closed to the public in 2024 yet retained the animals.

The park said it lacks resources to continue care and would euthanize them without a relocation plan or new funding. Canada enacted a law in 2019 ending the captivity of whales and dolphins. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson approved a conditional move to the United States in January.

Final export authorization requires health checks on each animal, Thompson said in a July 8 statement. The rescue effort will take several weeks and focus on the whales' comfort and safety, according to a joint statement from the receiving aquariums. Twenty whales have died at Marineland since 2019, The Canadian Press reported.