Hurricane damage, Animal Welfare Act fines, & bad publicity drive out even “Codfather” Vince Covino
SARASOTA, Florida; MYSTIC, Connecticut; NIAGARA, Ontario––The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida is plugging ahead with a $130 million upgrade and expansion of facilities scheduled to open before the site reaches 70 years of age in early 2025.
The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, however, suffered “potentially up to $13 million worth of damage,” reported Michaela Redmond of WWSB/ABC News 7, from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Hurricane casualties included two river otters
That included the deaths of two river otters, Huck and Jane, who apparently did not survive the stress of emergency relocation ahead of the hurricanes.
The two Mote resident manatees, “Buffett and a new male manatee only recently introduced to the facility,” Earle Kimel of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported, “were both relocated to a partner facility with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in Florida, as were other species.
“Many of the endangered sea turtles, alligators, birds, river otters and other key species were relocated to the Mote Aquaculture Research Park, 13 miles inland,” Kimel said.
Dancing around destroyed laboratories
“Here at Mote and at our seven campuses that stretch from the tip of Anna Maria Pier all the way to Key West Florida are all actively engaging in their research,” Mote chief executive officer Michael Crosby told Redmond.
“While, at the same time, trying to dance around having many of their laboratories destroyed here and trying to rebuild those,” Crosby continued.
The $130 million investment is likely to keep the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in operation for longer than the also soon-to-be-70-year-old Miami Seaquarium.
Miami Seaquarium down for the count?
The Miami Seaquarium is widely believed to be down for the count after a 2021 sale to the Mexico-based Dolphin Company, the 2022 death of 52-year star attraction Lolita the orca, and 13 citations for alleged federal Animal Welfare Act violations issued in January 2024.
(See Lolita: not the orca whale activists thought she was. Her truth was worse.)
Even a decade ago, longtime Miami Seaquarium critic Russ Rector, a former building contractor, estimated that the seaside property occupied by the Seaquarium might be worth more on the open market than Seaquarium revenues.
(See Russ Rector, “the feared activist feared even among activists,” dead at 69.)
Mystic Aquarium fined
The Mystic Aquarium in Mystic Connecticut, opened in 1973 and upgraded and expanded three times since 1999, is also struggling these days, primarily with image issues, after agreeing in September 2024 “to settle Animal Welfare Act charges over alleged animal care and water quality violations by paying a $12,200 fine while not admitting or denying the accusations,” reported Dave Collins for Associated Press.
The charges pertained specifically to the deaths of three beluga whales purchased by the Mystic Aquarium from Marineland of Niagara Falls in 2021.
(See What killed 18 Marineland of Niagara Falls & Mystic Aquarium belugas?)
“Pre-existing health problems”
Mystic Aquarium vice president of external relations Meagan Seacor told Collins that the belugas “had pre-existing health problems that were not detectable before they arrived in Mystic.”
“The three whales were among five brought to Mystic from Marineland after a lengthy legal battle to obtain permits from both the U.S. and Canada,” Collins summarized.
“In August 2021,” Collins detailed, “a five-year-old male beluga whale named Havok died from an intestinal disease. Two female whales, Havana and Kharabali, died in 2022 and 2023, respectively, from storage disease, which can damage the brain, spinal cord and other body areas, according to the aquarium. All three whales’ health problems were genetic and not curable, aquarium officials said.”
Didn’t call a vet
The USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Collins said, “claimed aquarium staff failed to call for veterinary care in the last hours of Havok’s life, despite observing him exhibiting abnormal behaviors including frequent rolling in the water and other signs of distress.
“Federal investigators also said Havoc, who had vision problems, had been injured twice in June 2021, once by ramming himself into a gate while a worker used a net to try and retrieve a foreign object that fell into his tank,” and once “by striking posts in the aquarium’s medical pool, authorities said.”
The beluga tanks “in late 2021 showed extremely high levels of coliform bacteria,” Collins added. “The settlement agreement said the bacteria may have contributed to some of Havana’s medical conditions, but it does not definitively link her ailments to bacteria.”
Seacor “said the high bacteria levels were the result of a brief period when equipment malfunctioned.” The problem has not recurred, Seacor said, since repairs were promptly made.
Marineland of Niagara Falls fined too
Marineland of Niagara Falls, meanwhile, a target of animal advocacy protest over allegedly poor conditions for more than 30 years, was on August 15, 2024 fined $45,000 by Welland, Ontario justice of the peace Ellen Walker on three counts of cruelty by neglect in the care of three black bears.
Marineland of Niagara Falls was also ordered to pay “$28,000 in restitution to reimburse the government for caring for the bears after they were seized by authorities,” said an Animal Justice media release announcing the penalties.
“This is the first time Marineland has faced legal penalties,” Animal Justice said, “after causing decades of suffering and incurring over a dozen animal cruelty charges in recent years.
Previous charges were dropped
“Back in 2016, “ Animal Justice recounted, “Marineland was charged with five counts of animal cruelty related to the mistreatment of black bears, guinea hens, and a peacock. The following year, more charges were filed against the park for the improper care of elk and deer. Unfortunately, the Crown prosecutor later dropped all charges.
“In 2021,” Animal Justice continued, “Marineland was ordered to fix its water system after belugas were found to be in distress due to poor water quality. Later that year, the company faced criminal charges for forcing dolphins to perform in shows for entertainment purposes, a practice banned in Canada since 2019, after Animal Justice lodged a legal complaint with police.
“Regrettably,” recalled Animal Justice, “the prosecutor chose to drop the case, citing concerns that a trial would be too lengthy and complex, after Marineland threatened to complicate the proceedings.
Kiska the orca
“Animal Justice also filed multiple legal complaints with Animal Welfare Services in 2021 and 2022,” the media release added, concerning the care and treatment of an orca whale named Kiska.
Animal Justice had obtained “videos that showed Kiska floating listlessly and repeatedly slamming her body against her tank. Tragically,” Animal Justice said, Kiska passed away in March 2023 after more than 40 years in captivity, over a decade of which she spent in solitary confinement.”
Altogether, “17 whales, one dolphin, two seals, and two sea lions have died” at Marineland of Niagara Falls since 2019, according to Animal Justice monitoring.
“The park has announced a transition to new ownership, leaving the future of Marineland uncertain,” Animal Justice concluded.
Dolphin Project founder Ric O’Barry in Taiji protested against dolphin captures for sale to Taiwan, among other destinations.
(Dolphin Project photo)
Taiwan moves to close dolphin shows
Across the globe, the Taiwanese ministry of agriculture on July 29, 2024 published a revised code of “Animal Performance Management Measures” which “will forbid companies from forcing wild animals to perform or interact with people,” Taiwan News staff writer Duncan DeAeth reported.
“Two private operators in Taiwan are still conducting performances involving dolphins,” DeAeth said. “Their licenses are set to expire in 2026 unless they are granted an extension by the government, which is unlikely. The Ocean Conservation Administration is advising them on how to eliminate ‘inappropriate performances’ from their business operations.”
“Codfather” no longer sleeps with the fishes
A further hint that the aquarium industry may not be as profitable as it once was came with an August 8, 2024 announcement from the SeaQuest shopping-center-based aquarium chair that “Founder and CEO Vince Covino has officially stepped down. Covino, who has led the company since its inception in 2012, will be pursuing new business ventures outside of SeaQuest.
“During his tenure,” the SeaQuest media release said, “Covino was instrumental in developing and building 14 locations nationwide.
“SeaQuest has faced criticism from animal-rights organizations during the founder’s tenure,” the media release acknowledged.
PETA: “Can’t say good riddance fast enough”
“We can’t say good riddance fast enough to this infamous animal exploiter responsible for scores of animal deaths that occurred under his leadership,” said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] in a prepared statement.
“The move won’t clean up the SeaQuest chain’s mess—which includes ballooning allegations of animal deaths, human injuries, and widespread neglect—but it’s a sign that confidence in the company is flagging,” PETA said.
Added PETA Foundation general counsel Brittany Peet, “Since SeaQuest locations in Colorado, Connecticut, and Georgia closed down under pressure from PETA and the public, the chain needs to read the writing on the wall, shut its doors, and send the animals to reputable facilities.”
HSUS: “SeaQuest needs to do far more”
Said Humane Society of the U.S. director of captive wildlife Laura Hagen, “SeaQuest needs to do far more than replace its current CEO to improve conditions for the many animals exploited at its pathetic indoor exotic animal petting zoos. The company denies countless animals their most basic needs, including access to fresh air and natural sunlight, proper nutrition and medical care, and the freedom to not be handled by the public and bombarded by loud noises and chaos all day long.”
“Covino’s departure comes amid a call by California Assembly member Josh Hoover for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to investigate SeaQuest Folsom after an ABC10 investigation,” reported Andie Judson for ABC10 in Sacramento.
KNTV Las Vegas reporter Darcy Spears “has been exposing concerns about SeaQuest and its treatment of animals for seven years,” KNTV said.
ANIMALS 24-7 has repeatedly exposed SeaQuest operations since November 2015.
(See Could SeaWorld survive if founded today?, The SeaQuest empire, the Covino family, & who is “The Codfather?”, and Covino SeaQuest Littleton follows duck-billed dinosaurs to extinction.)
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In these terrible times, it’s always and ever about the bottom line. Living beings? Unimportant and largely forgotten. As climate change renders so many coastal areas bad risks, rebuilding and upgrading shouldn’t be done. But as long as there’s money to be made, they will.
Sharing with gratitude.