WASHINGTON, August 8 (RIA Novosti) – US federal authorities have denied an aquarium in Georgia permission to import 18 Beluga whales that were captured in Russia, according to a letter from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In denying the request, NOAA cited concerns that five of the whales may have been nursing when they were captured in Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk between 2006 and 2011 and that granting the request would fuel demand leading to a negative impact on the whale population.
"We believe the ongoing live-capture trade since 1989 may have contributed to a cumulative decline over the past two decades, and we considered this in combination with other past, present and foreseeable future actions," NOAA said in the letter dated Monday.
The 1972 US Marine Mammal Protection Act forbids taking whales, seals, dolphins, and other marine mammals from the wild, but institutions can apply for import permits if the animals are intended for public display.
Georgia Aquarium's application to display the whales in Atlanta and at partner Sea World aquariums was the first in over 20 years, LiveScience.com reported Wednesday.
Beluga whales are categorized as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, LiveScience.com said.
