Belugas were first captured for public display as early as 1861, with Barnum’s American Museum in New York being the first facility to exhibit them. Tragically, when the museum burned down in 1865, the two remaining belugas perished in the fire.
From 1967 to 1992, a total of 68 belugas were reportedly captured in Canadian waters, until a ban was implemented. Following this restriction, the captivity industry shifted its attention to Russia, where belugas were sourced from the White Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East.
Quick facts:
About beluga whales
Approximately 150,000 beluga whales inhabit the Arctic Ocean, thriving in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere near Alaska, Russia, Canada, and Greenland. Known for their striking white colouration, flexible neck vertebrae, and melodic vocalisations, belugas are among the most distinctive of all cetaceans. They are highly social, often travelling in large pods made up of either males or females with their young. It is not uncommon for individuals to switch between pods from time to time.
Even though no whales have been taken into captivity since 2018, they continue to face several threats, including hunting in regions such as Greenland, Russia, Canada, and the United States. Pollution of their natural habitat and underwater noise pollution, which disrupts their navigation and communication, also pose serious risks to their survival.
Belugas are held in marine parks and aquaria in at least 10 different countries, with the highest numbers in Canada, China, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and the US. Globally, there are thought to be well over 300 belugas in captivity in these and other countries.
Beluga death rates are higher in captivity than they are in the wild. While belugas live up to 60 years in the wild, in captivity, they very often die before the age of 30 and sometimes much earlier.
Beluga whale captivity facts
- Until 2018, belugas were still captured from the wild for public display.
- At least 31 belugas are currently held at Marineland Ontario in Canada.
- In 2024, five beluga whales died at Marineland Ontario, with 18 having died in just five years.
- Three belugas who were transported to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, USA, in 2021 together with two other individuals, also died.
- China now holds the majority of captive beluga whales worldwide with over 240 individuals housed in more than 50 facilities across the country.
- Most of these belugas were wild-caught in Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk and imported into China, with several others arriving from Japan.
- In 2015, together with our partners in US organisations, WDC won the fight to prevent the import of 18 wild-caught belugas from Russia into the US.
Tragedy of beluga whales in captivity
Marineland Ontario
Marineland of Canada is a marine park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It was opened in 1961 and has a history of keeping cetaceans in captivity: orcas, belugas and bottlenose dolphins. The park made headlines worldwide due to the keeping of lone orca Kiska and the many belugas who lost their lives in the facility. In 2024 alone, five belugas died at Marineland bringing the number of deaths to 18 within only five years. Three belugas who were transported to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, USA, in 2021 together with two other individuals, also have died. It had been widely reported that they had chronic medical conditions previous to the transfer from Canada to the US.
In 2021, the Bill S-203, also known as the “Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act“ had been made into law in Canada. It prohibits the display, breeding and trade of cetaceans for public display and entertainment. However, the remaining facilities (Marineland and the Vancouver Aquarium) were allowed to continue holding the individuals they currently have and there are exceptions for cetaceans needing rehabilitation and for licensed scientific research. Marineland currently holds an estimated 31 belugas. Vancouver Aquarium ceased displaying cetaceans in 2021.
Russian captures and China
China now holds the majority of captive beluga whales worldwide with over 240 individuals housed in more than 50 facilities across the country. Most of these belugas were wild-caught in Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk and imported into China, with several others arriving from Japan.
According to a report by the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA), 10 belugas have been born in captivity in Chinese facilities between 2002 and 2024.
The conservation status of most of these targeted beluga populations is unknown, but in the case of the beluga whales found in the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River region in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia—the source for almost all of the beluga whales found in Chinese ocean theme parks—the population is considered depleted under US law. The CITES database reports that wild-caught beluga whales continued to be exported from Russia to China up until the end of 2022, although it is likely that the ones exported between 2018 and 2022 were already in captivity, as captures reportedly stopped in Russia in 2018 (Rose and Parsons, 2023)
One of the most controversial events occurred in the summer of 2018, when up to 90 belugas and 11 orcas were captured in the Sea of Okhotsk. They were confined in a facility near Nakhodka, later dubbed the notorious “whale jail.” The whales were intended for sale to Chinese marine parks, but following global outrage and international pressure, the surviving whales—after the deaths of three belugas and one orca—were released back into the wild in 2019. Since then, Russia has banned the capture of wild orcas and belugas in its waters.
World’s first beluga whale sanctuary in Iceland
The Beluga Whale Sanctuary, operated by charity the SEA LIFE Trust, is the first of its kind and was built with the support of a generous donation from Merlin Entertainments.
Created in partnership with WDC, the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is one of the biggest developments in captive whale and dolphin care and protection in decades and the first of its kind to be created for cetaceans.
The sanctuary was established in 2019 when two ex-captive belugas, Little White and Little Grey were flown from a display facility in Shanghai, China to the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland.
The aims of the sanctuary are:
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- To provide a more natural life for the belugas under human care
- To advance knowledge through research and education
- To support the protection of belugas in the wild
By leading the way and demonstrating an alternative way of caring for these beautiful whales we want to encourage others to consider sanctuaries as a viable alternative. This change could potentially transform the lives of not only beluga whales but over 3,700 other whales and dolphins currently housed in traditional facilities under human care or performing in shows around the world.