Marineland asks Ottawa for emergency cash to feed whales — or euthanasia imminent

Beluga whales swim in a tank at the Marineland amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ont., Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Marineland has asked Ottawa for emergency funding to feed and care for the last captive whales in the country, saying euthanasia is otherwise imminent and will be a “direct consequence” of the fisheries minister’s decision to deny export permits for the belugas.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson earlier this week denied Marineland’s request to export 30 belugas to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, an aquarium in China.

Thompson said she will not subject the belugas to a future performing in captivity, which is consistent with a federal law passed in 2019.

Marineland said the decision “effectively prohibits” the whales’ export to any operational aquarium in the world.

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“Our only options at this point are to either relocate the whales or face the devastating decision of euthanasia,” Marineland wrote in a letter to Thompson on Friday. “This is an outcome we are desperately trying to avoid.”

Twenty whales — one killer whale and 19 belugas — have died at the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction since 2019, according to a database created by The Canadian Press based on internal records and official statements.

Marineland has been up for sale since early 2023, though it has not landed a deal. The animals are a stumbling block to any company looking to acquire the massive piece of land that is one kilometre from Horseshoe Falls and the heart of the region’s tourism industry.

The park is quickly running out of money.

“We are fully indebted and rapidly running out of resources to provide adequate care for the whales,” Marineland wrote to Thompson.

The park has asked for immediate operating funding to care for the whales until a suitable relocation can be arranged.

A proposed sanctuary in Nova Scotia has stalled in recent years and is not a viable option, Marineland said.

“This leaves us in a precarious situation, as Marinelnad is not aware of any facility, anywhere in the world, that meets the conditions set forth by the minister for the export of these majestic animals,” the park wrote.

Thompson said earlier this week that all whales belong in the ocean, but that she is open to “looking at other decisions that really speak to the health and well-being of the whales.”

When asked what would happen next, she said: “That decision sits with Marineland.”

Marineland has asked Thompson for help to identify other possible facilities that would take the whales.

“We understand and appreciate that the minister holds a strong belief against captivity and we do not oppose this viewpoint,” Marineland wrote. “However, it is important to recognize that these whales were born in captivity. Releasing them into the ocean would unfortunately lead to their immediate demise.”

Thompson’s office said Friday that the minister has only received one set of permits for the remaining belugas at Marineland, which was rejected, and that she remains open to other export requests that comply with the Fisheries Act.

“Minister Thompson also rejects the assumptions made by Marineland in the letter in terms of what she will or won’t approve. Each permit request will be evaluated based on its merit,” her office wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.

It said Thompson is “keenly aware of the fact that the belugas can’t be released into the wild, nor has she suggested it.”

In 2019, the federal government banned whale and dolphin captivity with a limited exemption for scientific research. The law did not apply to Marineland’s existing complement of marine mammals.

The new laws also forbade breeding – which forced Marineland to split up its male and female belugas – banned performances and made it illegal to import or export marine mammals, though there is an exception carved out for a minister to export the animals if it is in their best interest.

Marineland has asked Thompson for an answer by Tuesday.

“If we do not receive a response by that date, we will have no choice but to presume that the answers to our inquiries are negative,” it wrote.

“In such an unfortunate scenario, we will inform all stakeholders and the public accordingly and proceed with actions that will be a direct consequence of the minister’s decision.”

Thompson’s office reiterated Friday that the minister only has authority over the approval or rejection of export permits.

Four dolphins, a few seals and sea lions and a contingent of bears and deer also remain at Marineland.

A juvenile beluga died in February, while another beluga whale and a harbour seal died at the park in mid-August.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press