Good afternoon, everybody.
I want to extend a thank you to all, for giving me the opportunity to assist you in your decision-making process for this timely and relevant bill. Thank you for the kind words.
I just wanted to point out that I am a scientist specializing in the study of cetaceans, and I definitely support this bill. I have a Ph.D. studying free-ranging orcas, but I've also been studying cetaceans for over two decades. Part of that has involved looking at them in the wild and in captivity. I've visited 35 different captive facilities in 16 different countries, both facilities in Canada and also a number in China and other areas. I have observed 13 species in captivity and 48 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the wild. I've published 27 scientific articles, and those scientific articles have been cited over 800 times, with the top five articles being cited over 50 times.
The captivity industry in Canada is, as I understand it, self-regulating. Although in June 2015 I was invited by your ministry, along with Rob Laidlaw from Zoocheck, to provide input with respect to the formulation of standards for care for marine mammals in your country—and a number of the suggestions that I contributed were included—to my knowledge, none of those have actually been implemented by Marineland Canada.
It is my understanding that these standards are at the whim of the animal care committee, and that as of the 28 June this year, the OSPCA will no longer be enforcing animal welfare at zoos or aquariums in Canada. This indicates to me that there is a real need for federal legislation to ban the keeping of these animals.
I would like to refer you all to the submission that I made to your Senate, when this bill was before them, as it contains a range of information that remains pertinent to the discussion. However, I would like to quote briefly from it. This bill clearly allows for research, yet the industry continues to try, and I will quote here, to use the excuse of research benefiting conservation as an attempt to muddy the waters.
This is the quote:
Scientists, myself included, generally concede that in the past, there has been some research done on captive cetaceans that has helped us better understand their wild conspecifics. However, ethically, today's research should only be conducted in facilities such as natural seaside sanctuaries or out in the open with wild animals. These will provide humane housing and husbandry conditions that better meet the needs of these animals. Such facilities would rationally also provide better data—
That's the end of the quote, but I'd like to emphasize here that this also means it would provide better opportunities for conservation, so I believe that their argument is actually null and void.
Lastly, I'd like to note that the Vancouver Aquarium used to have orcas. They no longer do. Likewise, they used to have belugas, false killer whales and harbour porpoises, and no longer do. Yet despite these species no longer being part of their aquarium, their business model continued, and some might argue that it has actually improved. I therefore can't see how this would be any different for them, should this bill be passed in the same form, at Marineland Canada. For these and the other reasons I have outlined in my submission, I respectfully request that you endorse the passing of this bill.
I would welcome any questions that you'd like to put forward to me.
Thank you.