Below is a sample email to use and/or edit to question and voice opposition to Sea World's application for permit to import a female Pacific white-sided dolphin from Japan to Sea World, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.
Although this situation may indeed cause you to see red, if you chose to edit, please remember to be polite, as we need the opportunity to be heard.
Please submit your comments and suggestions via Email: NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov
Via Fax: (301) 713-0376
For additional information or if you have more questions, please contact either Jennifer Skidmore or Kristy Beard: (301)427-8401
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Hello!
It has recently come to my attention that you are considering granting a permit to import one female, captive-born Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) for the purposes of public display.
While I understand that it has been claimed that said female Pacific white-sided dolphin was born in captivity, and not captured from the wild, as in the case of dolphin imports from the Cove in Taiji, Japan, there are still factors to consider that are not in the best interest of the dolphin you propose to import. But we should begin here:
1. Do you have possession of and have you made available to the public the certified birth records of the Pacific white-sided dolphin to verify that she was indeed captive born?
If you cannot provide irrefutable substantiation that the Pacific white-sided dolphin was captive bred, then we, the public, will presume that she was indeed wild captured, most likely in a drive hunt that has been established as being cruel and inhumane, that point of view being held not only by Cetacean advocacy groups, by also by the International Marine Animal Trainers Associaton ( IMATA )
Also, if you cannot provide this substantiation of proof to captivity bred, we are led to assume that this transport will entail an unlawful importation into the United States and will be in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
I ask that you regard and adhere to the The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), enacted on October 21, 1972, where is stated that all marine mammals are protected under the MMPA.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/
2. How do you plan to transport said Pacific white-sided dolphin?
Given that she currently resides in a Japanese aquarium, that would entail either air cargo or ship cargo.
If she is to be transported via air cargo, who is the airline that will be transferring the Pacific white-sided dolphin for import?
3. What are the physical and psychological ramifications of removing said Pacific white-sided dolphin from the company of cetaceans she currently resides with?
4. What will the ramifications be for the Pacific white-sided dolphin upon introduction to a new environment?
5. Will she be in direct contact with other cetaceans, or will she be isolated in a tank or pool with no other cetacean contact?
6. If she is to be in direct contact with other cetaceans, can you guarantee that this new forced arrangement will cause no physical harm to the Pacific white-sided dolphin or to the companion cetaceans?
7. Is there a risk of conflict that will result in injury to any of the above cetaceans due to aggressive behavior that might escalate due to the introduction of the new Pacific white-sided dolphin?
8. Have you provided the public adequate time to review this permit application and submit their comments? This came to my attention on February 24th, 2013, and I understand the deadline for comment submission to be March 6, 2103. However, we must consider that this deadline does not allow time for you to provide a response to the questions raised here.
We ask that you make your responses available to the public and provide adequate time for their reply.
We respectfully request that you make available a public hearing before you proceed with granting the permit for transfer of the female Pacific white-sided dolphin from Kamogawa SeaWorld 1404-18 Higashi-cho, Kamogawa, Chiba, Japan to Sea World San Antonio, 10500 SeaWorld Drive, San Antonio, TX 78251.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
I respectfully await your timely response.
Sincerely,
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Cove Blue for Jiyo ~ Mo Brock
Federal Register, Volume 78, Number 23, Monday, February 24, 2013
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
NOAA Protected Resources Glossary
Below are additional speaking points:
1. Transport of any cetacean, whether they are captive born or wild caught causes physical stress on said cetacean.
2. Depletion of breeding stock in the wild. Again, if we return to the situation in Taiji, Japan, we can see that a decimation of dolphin population by either capture for import, or slaughter for consumption will indeed cause a dangerous drop in breeding stock, thus pushing this cetacean species into the zone of endangered species at best, teetering on the edge of extinction, or extinct at worst.
3. Perpetuates the general public acceptance that dolphin capture for public display or entertainment purposes does not cause harm to the individual cetaceans who are imported, or to the pod family that has been disrupted by the removal of said cetacean.
The removal of even one cetacean has been proven to cause distress to the remaining pod. The slaughter of pod members not chosen for captivity causes distress to any remaining pod members. Those not captured, but released back into the wild, have seriously diminished chances of survival due to psychological and possible physical injuries occurring during the capture.
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