
Sea world whale safari voided by court in alaska
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
SAN DIEGO — A U.S. district court judge in Anchorage, Alaska, supporting a lawsuit brought by a coalition of environmentalists, has voided a federal permit authorizing Sea World of San Diego
to capture 100 killer whales along the Alaskan coast, it was announced Monday. Judge James A. von der Heydt ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service erred in issuing Sea World a
whale capture permit in November, 1983, because officials of the aquatic park did not properly submit an environmental impact study beforehand. The purpose of such a study would have been to
gauge the ecological impact of the whale captures on the food chain and on the close-knit killer whale families--called pods--which inhabit Alaskan coastal waters. Popular Attraction
Heydt’s written decision, signed last Wednesday but released on Monday, effectively prevents Sea World from taking any killer whales from the wild. The park has three killer whales, all
captured several years ago in Icelandic waters. They serve as the park’s mascot and represent its most popular animal attraction. Although Sea World has held the federal capture permit for
more than a year, its biologists have yet to attempt any whale round-ups because of widespread opposition among Alaskan officials and citizens. Sea World officials last week said that they
were awaiting Heydt’s ruling before deciding whether to attempt captures this year. On Monday, those officials declined to comment on the court’s decision, but it is expected that they will
appeal it. “Sea World can’t do anything; they are enjoined from taking whales and we’re real pleased about that,” said Suzanne LaPierre, an attorney in Juneau for the Sierra Club Legal
Defense Fund, which brought suit to block the captures. Also included as plaintiffs in the Legal Defense Fund’s lawsuit were the environmental group Greenpeace, the Southeast Alaska
Conservation Council and a handful of Alaskan charter boat operators. Environmentalists and Alaskan leaders hailed Monday’s announcement as a victory for animal rights as well as for
Alaskans in managing their state’s natural resources. Sea World opponents in Alaska have argued that they were given inadequate say before Sea World was granted the capture permit in
November, 1983. “I’m very pleased that the court has seen the merits of our arguments,” Alaska Gov. Bill Sheffield said. “We assume that we would be part of the permit process should Sea
World decide to reapply for federal permission.” Request Rejected Sheffield last year formally asked U.S. Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige to withdraw Sea World’s permit. However,
Baldrige, who oversees the fisheries service, rejected the request. Under the plan approved by the fisheries service, Sea World would have been allowed to briefly detain 90 whales. The
black-and-white animals were to be be corralled in the wild and subjected to scientific tests before being released. Another 10 killer whales were to be taken into permanent captivity to be
displayed, bred and trained to perform at Sea World’s parks in San Diego, Ohio and Florida. Some Alaskan residents, including native American tribes, branded the plan cruel and commercially
exploitative. MORE TO READ