Resolution urges halt to captivity of cetaceans

A resolution moving in the state House says interacting with acrobatic, touchy-feely dolphins should become a thing of the past in Hawaii.

House Resolution 136, which was voted forward last week, was introduced by Rep. Kaniela Ing (D, South Maui) and heard Wednesday before the House Committee on Agriculture. It urges Hawaii facilities that hold and breed cetaceans in captivity to discontinue doing so.

The release of “Blackfish,” a documentary about the harm done to confined orcas at Sea World Orlando, has led to increased scrutiny of dolphin and whale domestication for entertainment purposes. The documentary was distributed by CNN and Magnolia Pictures in 2013.

Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute, told lawmakers at the hearing that cetaceans like dolphins don’t fare well in captivity because they need more space to move about to maintain their health and avoid boredom.

“These are wide-ranging predators and they are in a small space,” she said. “They cannot swim in a straight line for more than a few tail strokes before they have to bank and turn because of how small the space is. Boredom can kill. Cetaceans are really smart and when they get bored, they act out, like killer whales killing people, or they go catatonic, logging at the surface.”

Agriculture Committee Chairman Richard Creagan (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) said: “I was amazed at the amount of testimony from people who care about this issue. This clearly needs more discussion. I think shutting out discussion prematurely would be dismissive of all the testimony on both sides.”

Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kailua-Kaneohe) was the only committee member to vote no to the resolution.

“With all due respect, I’m sorry to see this move forward at this point,” Thielen said.

She suggested it would be better to deal with the issue outside of the legislative session, proposing a task force be organized to gather more information.

Committee Vice Chairwoman Lynn DeCoite (D, Paia) supports the resolution but said cetacean captivity serves a valuable purpose for the public. “I feel the science benefits that have been brought up here today are valid and I agree that these facilities are giving our community members a tangible relationship and an opportunity to learn about these beautiful creatures, at the same time allowing for research,” she said.

Maui County banned the captivity of cetaceans in 2002.

Ing said the reason other islands have lagged in imposing similar bans is mainly financial, bringing up Oahu’s Sea Life Park. “There’s more business in it … more jobs tied to it. Folks aren’t talking about it, but Sea Life Park is foreign-owned by some guy in Europe, so a lot of money doesn’t really stay here,” he said.

Sea Life Park is owned by Parques Reunidos, an international entertainment operator headquartered in Madrid.

Ing also said Sea Life Park’s attendance is dwindling. “Most of the park is more empty than it used to be. Most of their business is at the ‘ride-with’ programs where you can actually put your hands on these animals, which, if you ask me, it’s real abusive.”

Valerie King, general manager of Sea Life Park, disagreed. “The public supports us. Our attendance is good, our dolphin programs are sold out. It’s hard for us to believe that people do not want the dolphins even though there’s a large, very vocal group of activists,” she said.

King said the park should be able to adjust if legally binding legislation ends up passing. “The park has many facets to it. Besides dolphins, we have a lot of other animals. We would adjust if we needed to.”

Rep. Matthew LoPresti (D, Ewa Villages-Ocean Pointe-Ewa Beach) expressed astonishment at the amount of testimony submitted regarding the resolution, while such popular attention is apparently absent in regards to other bills that affect people.

“I find it morally offensive to see that we get hundreds of testimonies about dolphins. I love dolphins. I want to protect the dolphins, but I’m morally disturbed that we can’t get more people to come testify about feeding the poor and housing the homeless and schooling children. Please, be more involved in other issues,” LoPresti pleaded.

Julie Rocho-Levine, Dolphin Quest Oahu’s manager of marine animals, suggested many of those in opposition to dolphin captivity may have first become interested in dolphins after visiting her workplace.

“I love that people are concerned about animal welfare. That means the facilities we have are making a difference. I believe we’ve inspired many in the sense of even knowing or caring about dolphins,” Rocho- Levine said.