Documentary on Vancouver Aquarium Incites Controversy

The Aquarium rebuts, “It’s not grounded in truth.”

The Vancouver Aquarium refers to itself as a “conservation organization that Canadians look to for science and facts on important issues,” but according to a recent documentary by Gary Charbonneau, they’re failing to live up to that title.

The film, Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered, attacks the aquarium for its unfair treatment of marine mammals. It has been screened for free on Kwantlen Polytechnic University campuses and other small venues around British Columbia, as well as by theatres in Kelowna, Toronto, and Victoria. All donations given to the film, online or otherwise, “go directly to ending the cruel practice of captivity.”

“The Vancouver Aquarium can no longer call themselves a conservation centre when they have a 90 per cent infant death rate,” says Charbonneau, in regards to his findings. “That’s absolutely unprecedented and unacceptable. If the Vancouver Aquarium was in charge of the oceans, everything would be extinct. That’s how bad it is, and it’s not something that first started fifty years ago. This has never changed, and there’s no suggestion that it is changing.”

While filming, he also discovered that the aquarium “didn’t allocate a penny to the marine rescue centre, which they admitted requires more infrastructure,” even after receiving $100-million for an expansion.

In response to public outcry, the aquarium published a blog post stating that Charbonneau, “deliberately created an inaccurate movie that misleads the viewer.” In it, they detail each of their conservation efforts, reassuring the reader that, “these animals are well cared for and are not the ones in trouble.”  Rather, it is the wild cetacean population that is truly in peril, hence why they will continue to keep some of those rescued in captivity.

Other highlights include their refusal to purchase imported belugas and dolphins from drive fisheries, as well as plans to expand and improve their infrastructure. A link to their annual report is also provided at the end of the post.

The cause of death for any of the four belugas who have passed away in the aquarium’s care are not specified in the report. According to Charbonneau, the reason is clear regardless.

“The evidence is quite conclusive that it’s captivity itself [that is killing the whales],” he comments. “These animals are not meant to be in small, concrete tanks. They’re meant to be in their own pods where they have support and they’re learning.”

“That’s what we’re pushing for with the aquaria. If they need to go to the marine mammal rescue centre because they need to be in a facility with constant monitoring, great. They can start out there, but having them in the ocean where they can be rehabilitated properly would be much more conducive to recovery. Those that can’t go back into the wild could still dive deep and move around. That’s all we’re asking the aquarium to do.”

As for what they’re asking of the public, Charbonneau suggests contacting the park board or aquarium and suspending support immediately.

“In the United States, the only reason SeaWorld is having to answer for the misdeeds they have spread is because of public pressure,” he says. “I’m not asking people to stop supporting an innovative marine science centre. I’m asking them to suspend their support for this aquatic circus.”