Marine Parks

Marine Parks

Marine parks do not serve as safe havens for marine mammals. The public display industry constantly argues that marine parks provide educational opportunities, serve a valuable conservation function, and protect captive marine mammals from the danger presented in the wild. However, as Bill Daly argues, these public display industries are  miseducating and misinforming the public. Throughout history, humans have abused their power over marine mammals by forcing them into captivity. Wildlife should not be forced into captivity for humans’ mere entertainment nor for research, which ultimately leads to the mistreatment and death of the marine mammals.

Daly indicates that individuals will argue that marine parks provide the only opportunity for much of the public to see marine animals. However, he argues that there are more places where they can be seen in the wild than places where they can be seen in captivity. Supporters may argue that not everyone has access to transportation to travel to the country coast, and if there are numerous marine parks, then the public will have easier access to interact with marine mammals. However, in Australia, there are numerous reliable, affordable public bus networks and trains. If one can use public transportation to a marine park, one can definitely use public transportation to the coast to witness marine mammals in their natural habitat. Even if marine parks are the only places that individuals can encounter and appreciate marine animals, it serves no benefit for the marine animals themselves. Marine parks may argue that they are educating the public and making them more aware about the marine mammals, which in the long run will benefit the marine mammals. However, it does not constitute that individuals will do anything different to protect the marine animals or their environment. A large number of customers attending marine parks are children. They simply are taken to marine parks to be entertained and do little to nothing to protect marine life. It is evident that the main purpose of marine parks is to display animals for entertainment rather than to convey information. At Sea World, we witness dolphins and orcas performing tricks, which are exaggerated variations of their natural behaviors. Interactive museum-type displays and virtual reality simulations should replace these marine mammal shows. There is little evidence that the public display industry is furthering the public’s knowledge of marine mammals and their habitats.

 Public display facilities often promote themselves as research centers. However, as Daly argues, marine park research is “only useful for understanding captive animals and is not useful for learning about animals in the wild.” These captive studies provided misleading facts and evidence. For example, the constraints placed on cetaceans, such as small pool sizes limiting natural behaviors, lead to biases in the results. In the wild, dolphins are free ranging; thus, allowing them to move easily from one group to another.  However, in captivity, a dolphin is limited to its tank mates. Therefore, the results of certain experiments may be inaccurate. In addition, the study of echolocation in captivity is held back because the concentration of sounds may cause some dolphins distress and discomfort as sound signals bounce off the walls of their tanks. In the wild, sounds are predicted to be softer due to the open space. Not only are research projects weak, they are also unnecessary. Much of what can be learned from captive marine mammals has already been learned. Reproductive and general physiology has already been examined in some detail (Rose et al., 2009). There may be some research questions that the study of captive animals can answer more directly, but research programs that are not part of the entertainment industry should address those questions. Furthermore, due to advancements in technology, such as underwater video and electronic tags, as well as improvements in capture and release techniques, in-depth study of the behavior and physiology of free-ranging marine mammals is now possible without keeping the marine mammals in captivity (Rose et al., 2009).

Captivity causes many health and psychological problems in marine mammals. Their living environment causes some health problems. Tanks contain water composed of chemicals and bacteria. The chemicals can irritate the skin of marine mammals and the bacteria can cause blindness. Marine mammals in captivity die from various diseases that could have been prevented, such as ulcers, pneumonia, and other stress-related diseases (Rose et al., 2009). In addition to health problems, these creatures suffer from boredom. Dolphins in the wild can swim up to 40 to 100 miles per day (Dolphin Facts and Information). However, due to the small size of the pools in captivity, they swim in repetitive patterns. Due to boredom and limited space, many dolphins abuse themselves by banging their heads against tank and aquarium walls. This lack of space also suffocates the dolphins and whales. The confinement of a tank forces a creature that previously spent most of its time underwater into a creature that is constantly above the water. Furthermore, the natural foraging behaviors of most predators in captivity are severely compromised. None of the marine mammals in captivity are allowed to exercise their behavior as predators relative to hunting and foraging. Severe aggression and other behavioral problems frequently arise in predators denied their natural foraging behavior. Public display facilities claim that for those marine mammals who perform in shows, training adequately replaces the stimulation of hunting. This claim is flawed. Performing animals are trained to demonstrate a series of conditioned behaviors. These behaviors are exaggerated forms of their natural behaviors. Wild-caught captive marine mammals gradually experience the atrophy of many of their natural behaviors. Many are caught too young to have learned how to socialize properly and form relationships. This natural tendency can rarely be accommodated in captivity, causing stress. Stress can manifest in many ways, including weight loss, lack of appetite, anti-social behavior, arteriosclerosis, stomach ulcers, changes in blood cell counts, increased susceptibility to diseases, and even death (Rose et al., 2009). Additionally, the creation of self-sustaining captive populations results in their inability to survive once released into the wild. Often those animals adapted to the dead fish and meat that trainers feed them, refusing to eat live fish both before and after their release. Needless to say, marine parks diminish marine animals’ quality of life and lifespan.