No Whales in Captivity

Vancouver's
Dolphin bylaw

The night of September 16, 1996, after four decades of public discussions on the controversial keeping whales in captivity, and after a year of numerous public meetings, and thousands of hours of negotiations between the Vancouver Aquarium, No Whales In Captivity, and the Vancouver Park Board, a bylaw was about to be enacted that would have actually completely restricted the importation of more dolphins and whales into Stanley Park. The bylaw was ready to be signed into law. Because the aquarium would not be able to replace the existing orcas, belugas and dolphins that they kept in captivity, this bylaw would result in a gradual phase out of cetacean exhibits. It was agreed that the phase out could take more than 20 years, but at least there was an end in sight.

That night, when the Park Commissioners were ready to sign this document, the aquarium officials astonished the Commissioners and the audience when they interfered and asked that 4 clauses be added to the bylaw. The Commissioners were then pressured by the aquarium’s lawyers to insert these “clauses” into the bylaw, rendering the document useless. The bylaw became full of loopholes that have allowed the aquarium to continue bringing dolphins into Stanley Park, whenever they please. Until these loopholes are closed and the original bylaw is re-introduced, there will never be a phase out of whale and dolphin exhibits in Stanley Park.

This bylaw proved to be useless in 2001, when they brought a dolphin from Japan without informing the park board.

Click here to READ THE WHOLE STORY IN OUR REPORT
“Vancouver’s Dolphin Bylaw: Unenforced and Unrespected”

This is the complete report presented to the Park Board in July 2003 by No Whales In Captivity and our legal council.

Part I is the opinion of our legal council regarding the lack of enforceability of the 1996 Dolphin Bylaw.

Part II is the story of how this Bylaw came into effect, and why it didn’t stop the aquarium from importing another dolphin from Japan in July 2001.

Click here to READ DOLPHIN COMPLAINT
This report was presented to the Park Board on June 6, 2006 and it refers to the fact that the Park Board warned the Vancouver Aquarium not to import two dolphins from Japan in October 2005. Despite the warning, the Aquarium brought the dolphins, but the Park Board has not prosecuted the facility for violating the law.

Click here to READ JAPANESE DOLPHIN DRIVE
This report deals with the fact that the Vancouver Aquarium is purchasing and bringing dolphins into Stanley Park from the Enoshida Aquarium in Japan, a facility that obtains dolphins from the bloody dolphin drives.

Will you help the whales today?
YES