Russia Begins Transport of Whales for Return to the Ocean

Russia has begun the process of returning to the ocean the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who were captured illegally last year for sale to marine entertainment parks, mostly in China. The government also intends to change the law that enables capture of whales for use in entertainment.

This morning, Russia began the process of returning to ocean waters the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales who were captured last year and have been living in what has become known as the “whale jail” in the country’s Far East.

The first eight animals – two orcas and six beluga whales – began an 1,100-mile, six-day journey to the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, the area where they were caught last year. They are traveling in water reservoirs installed in trucks and are being monitored by 70 specialists, including veterinary doctors and scientists. Each whale will be accompanied by two people and will be equipped with a GPS tracker before release.

Photo by Yuri Smityuk/TASS

The transport and release program is being supervised by the Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) Vyacheslav Bizikov. The Whale Sanctuary Project team worked with the Institute during and after our visit to Russia in April to assess the whales in their sea pens. After the visit, we sent a detailed report and recommendations to the government, and we have been in regular contact with the Institute since then.

The most critical aspect of our input was that the whales should be returned to ocean waters close to where they were captured. And an initial decision to release them directly into the bay next to the sea pens where they are being held was overruled.

“This is a good day for the whales.”This morning, Bizikov communicated with Charles Vinick, Executive Director of the Whale Sanctuary Project, to express his thanks for the help that our team has provided.

“We are trying to use as much of your input as we can,” he wrote.

“We are gratified to see that the orcas and belugas are being transported to the Sea of Okhotsk for release,” Vinick later said. “And we wish VNIRO and the release team every success in returning these orcas and belugas to the open ocean. This is a good day for the whales.”

Our original recommendations for release included a longer period of time for rehabilitation. But time is now of the essence in getting the whales back to the ocean before winter sets in. And the order in which the groups will be transported can allow for those who need more time and preparation.

The announcement of today’s transport was made this morning by President Putin during his annual four-hour “Direct Line” televised phone-in with the Russian people. A state TV reporter introduced the announcement, saying that by “coincidence” the operation began just before the start of the show.

Putin commented on the release of the whales, saying that the problem was “not easy to solve” since the orcas alone were worth $100 million and there were many potential buyers.

“Wherever there’s big money there are always difficulties with solutions, but thank God the process has begun,” he said.

Russia intends to clamp down on the capture of whales.Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev added that the “right decision was taken on the recommendation of scientists” to release the mammals in their native habitat.”

Russia will also clamp down on the capture of whales, Gordeyev told Putin during the call-in show. He said that the government would change the law in order to ban hunting whales for “educational and cultural purposes” – a loophole used to capture these whales.

“This is a momentous decision,” Vinick said. “We are very pleased to hear that Russia has stated that they will change this policy. It should signal the end of the capture and sale of orcas and beluga whales from Russia to entertainment parks, primarily in China.”

During the discussion of the whale release program in President Putin’s Direct Line phone-in, Deputy Prime Minister Gordeyev added that the “right decision was taken on the recommendation of scientists” to release the mammals in their native habitat, and that it will take “around four months” to release all the whales in the groups that they have been living in.