Georgia Aquarium Goes to Court to Attain Wild-Caught Belugas

A ruling issued by NOAA’s Fisheries Service last month that denied the import of 18 wild-caught Beluga whales is being challenged in court this week by the Georgia Aquarium, who filed a complaint in Georgia’s federal court after the ruling.

It would be the first time in two decades that a US facility has attempted to import wild marine animals specifically for the purposes of display, which NOAA ruled would contribute to the decline of their populations in the wild. Georgia Aquarium disagrees, claiming that its permit application met all the requirements mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and that their import would ensure a genetically sustainable captive population.