Canada's last captive whales set to leave Marineland for U.S. aquariums

A beluga whale swims in a tank at Marineland before being moved to an aquarium in the U.S., in what will be the last transfer of whales out of the closed park, ending whale captivity in Canada, in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio

NIAGARA FALLS — Canada’s last captive whales are set to leave the country today as the six belugas from Marineland are headed to two aquariums in the United States.

The closed Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction is up for sale and the park has said it is running out of money and can no longer care for its animals.

Once today’s journey is complete, Marineland will have shipped 30 belugas and four dolphins over six moves to five different aquariums in the largest collective relocation of captive whales the world has ever seen.

The whales and dolphins have moved to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, SeaWorld locations in San Diego and San Antonio, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.

Canada banned whale and dolphin captivity in 2019, but grandfathered in the animals at Marineland.

The federal government blocked a previous plan to move the whales to an aquarium in China, which prompted Marineland to threaten to euthanize the animals if it did not get an emergency cash infusion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2026.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press