Marineland won't get funding amid threats to euthanize 30 beluga whales
The Minister of Fisheries says she will not provide funding to Marineland after it threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales due to financial strain.
“The fact that Marineland has not planned for a viable alternative despite raising these whales in captivity for many years, does not place the onus on the Canadian government to cover your expenses,” said Joanne Thompson to the company, in a letter obtained by National Post.
In June 2019, stipulations to end the captivity of whales and dolphins were added to the Fisheries Act and the Criminal Code. Marineland Canada has been shuttered since 2024 and has faced much scrutiny among animals rights groups, who accuse it of mistreating its animals. It is currently the only location in Canada that has whales in captivity. Between 2019 and 2025, 20 whales have died in its care, the Canadian Press reported.
Last week, Marineland asked Thompson to allow it to relocate the belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a theme park in China. Approving the request would mean “a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” Thompson said in a statement on Oct. 1.
She said she could not approve the request that would “perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”
Please see my statement on Marineland. pic.twitter.com/bmwz0te5wj
— Joanne Thompson (@Joanne_NL) October 1, 2025
Marineland then asked the government for funding in a letter to Thompson on Oct. 3.
It said if it did not get a response by Oct. 7, it would “inform all stakeholders and the public accordingly and proceed with actions that will be a direct consequence of the Minister’s decision.”
Without funding, it would have to euthanize the whales, an outcome it said it was “desperately trying to avoid.” The park is in need of immediate operational funding, it said, “until a suitable relocation could be arranged.”
It said that currently, there were no sanctuaries in the world that could accommodate the whales. It would need the funds for “ongoing whale care” until such a place could be secured.
A source told CBC News that the whales cost roughly $2 million a month to maintain.
Thompson responded to Marineland in a letter on Oct. 6, a day ahead of Marineland’s deadline.
She condemned the company’s lack of planning and said it should work with the province to address its “serious concerns about the welfare” of its whales.
“The Government of Canada previously approved the export of belugas from Marineland in 2021 and will consider any other permit requests that are in the best interest of the whales,” she said.
“At this point, you have only brought forward one proposal, which would mean continued life in captivity, further risks in transport, especially at this distance, and importantly, a return to public entertainment for these whales.”
She said she remains “open to export permit applications” and urges “Marineland to act in good faith.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who recently spoke to a critic of Marineland about the park’s situation , discussed it again on Tuesday.
“It should be the federal government that allows them to move them to China or other marine areas that will take them, but saying no to everything and not coming up with a solution is not a great suggestion,” he said, the Canadian Press reported.
The Whale Sanctuary Project is dedicated to creating a sanctuary in Nova Scotia, which could be an option for the whales when it is ready. For now, the group said in a news release that it was “working with ally organizations to press for life-affirming options that must begin with on-site independent health evaluations for each individual whale.”
The ultimate goal should be for the whales to go to such a sanctuary, said national animal law advocacy organization Animal Justice on Monday. “Sanctuaries offer a chance for these highly intelligent and social animals to recover from the stresses of captivity and to live out their lives with greater freedom and dignity,” the group said.
“It would be devastating for animal lovers across Canada if Marineland follows through on its appalling threat to kill these beluga whales,” Camille Labchuk told National Post on Tuesday. She is the executive director of Animal Justice.
“It has been clear since Canada outlawed whale captivity in 2019 that the outdated marine park would soon close, and the whales would need to be relocated. We are heartbroken that Marineland failed to plan for the future care of these whales, while sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property.”
She called on the government to convene stakeholders “to find the best possible solution to care for the whales.”
Marineland did not respond to National Post’s requests for comment.
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