Canada Endorses Plan to Relocate 34 Whales from Marineland to Five U.S. and Spanish Aquariums

The Canadian government endorsed a plan Wednesday to move the last 30 belugas and four dolphins from the shuttered Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to five marine parks in the United States and Spain. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has issued the first batch of permits and will issue additional permits closer to the transfer. The move is expected within the next few months.

Marineland announced in early 2023 that it was for sale and closed to the public in late summer 2024. No sale of the property has been announced. Twenty whales, including 19 belugas and one killer whale, have died at the park since 2019, according to provincial government data. In 2024, Marineland was found guilty under Ontario animal cruelty laws in a case involving three black bears.

Officials and Park Fisheries Minister Joanne

Thompson said the decision is a positive step forward but more work remains. The ministry is coordinating with the Canada Border Services Agency, Health Canada and other departments to meet requirements for a safe transfer. Marineland stated it is fully committed to the safe and timely relocation of the belugas and called the move its top priority.

The park described relocating the animals as an extraordinarily complex undertaking. The government has not decided whether it will provide taxpayer funds for the transfer.

The whales and dolphins are scheduled to go to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego, and Oceanografic Valencia. Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut will assist with the move, according to the American consortium handling logistics.

Marineland's founder John Holer died in 2018. His wife Marie Holer took over operations and put the park up for sale in 2023 before she died in 2024. The estate has continued efforts to relocate the animals and sell the property.