Letter: Law can save cetaceans from unethical captivity
NEW YORK TIMES / 2019
A dolphin swims alongside a boat off the coast of Everglades City, Fla.
House Bill 49 and its counterpart, Senate Bill 1021, propose a ban on the keeping or breeding of cetaceans — whales, dolphins, porpoises — in captivity. This action deserves support from everyone in our community.
These animals hold immense cultural and ecological importance and deserve our protection. Captivity causes stress, aggression, self-injury and compromised immunity in cetaceans due to limited space. What species would want to be confined to a space hundreds of thousands times smaller than its natural habitat? How can we continue to learn from cetaceans while also ensuring ethical conservation?
HB 49 helps us navigate the fine line between education and exploitation.
By supporting this bill, we as a community stand for ethical conservation and the protection of cetaceans from unnecessary captivity.
Hawaii has a unique opportunity to lead in marine conservation while promoting responsible education. Let’s allow these magnificent creatures to thrive in the ocean where they belong.
Ysabella Palchetti
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