Canada backs plan to relocate Marineland belugas to US and Spain

The Canadian government has endorsed a plan to move the 30 beluga whales and four dolphins remaining at the closed Marineland park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to aquariums in the United States and Spain. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans issued CITES permits and is coordinating with border and health agencies to ensure a safe transfer. The whales are slated for Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld parks in San Antonio and San Diego, Oceanogràfic in Valencia, and Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson described the move as a positive step forward, though the government has not yet decided whether taxpayer money will fund the relocation. Marineland, which shut to the public in late summer 2024 after being put up for sale, was found guilty under Ontario’s animal‑cruelty laws for the care of three black bears. Twenty whales have died at the park since 2019.