ATLANTA — In 800,000 gallons of very cold saltwater, a controversy is heating up.
"The fact of the matter is this should have been a very easy operation," Georgia Aquarium Vice President Scott Higley said.
Higley says the facility is fighting for the right to import 18 beluga whales from Russia. A federal agency, a group of internationally known environmentalists, and some Hollywood celebrities are standing in the way.
"Not all 18 animals would come to Georgia Aquarium,” Higley said. “They would go to other facilities that are accredited and currently care for beluga whales.”
The aquarium is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service for blocking a plan to bring the whales stateside for what it calls a managed breeding program. The feds and their allies claim the whales have been taken from a dwindling wild population, which is threatening efforts to protect marine mammals. The aquarium counters that belugas there and in other facilities like it thrive and by diversifying the gene pool, the offspring will be even healthier, and that federal law itself recognizes that the display of these whales is important to educate the public.
"The Marine Mammal Protection Act strongly supports education programs in zoos and aquariums,” Higley said. “It also supports the import of animals for that purpose."
The aquarium won't say what it’s paying for the 18 whales, if it is allowed to get them.
Lawyers for both sides will fight it out in federal court Friday morning at 10:30.
WSBTV
