A familiar, divisive civic debate is only beginning to heat up once again.
Protesters are planning to demonstrate outside the Vancouver Aquarium tomorrow to voice their opposition to whales and dolphins in captivity two days before park board commissioners debate holding a plebiscite on the divisive topic.
However, David Isbister with the uncompromisingly named No More Dead Cetaceans, does not believe a public opinion poll, politically binding or otherwise, is the best way to decide the fate of marine animals, including belugas and white-sided dolphins, owned by the aquarium.
“I personally am against the plebiscite in general because it tends to be more about the deferral of responsibility,” he said. “If that is the only political currency that anyone is willing to spend, I will do my best to make sure people vote no to cetaceans in captivity.”
The demonstration will include a reading of the names of the cetaceans they say have died in captivity at the aquarium. According to their count, there have been “41 dead cetaceans in 53 years.” The aquarium did not immediately confirm this total.
Isbister said his concerns about the aquarium range from the accountability of the Ocean Wise program to the importation of animals between Vancouver and U.S. marine theme park, SeaWorld.
Isibster said his organization has met with a majority of current park board commissioners, including the chairman, Michael Wiebe. In the past, he and others have disrupted park board meetings and will be in attendance at the first scheduled meeting of the year on Jan. 23.
The demonstration is planned to start at 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21.
NPA commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung, a former communications consultant with the Vancouver Aquarium, will bring forward a motion to hold a plebiscite on whether or not the aquarium should keep cetaceans in captivity.
The Vancouver Aquarium is a private not-for-profit facility operating as a tenant under the jurisdiction of the park board, which regulates all activities in city parks, and is one of two locations in Canada that has whales and dolphins.
