Free Willy: The Science & Ethics of Captive Orcas

October 4, 2020

Free Willy, sure, but what about dolphin shows?

On this episode od the American Shoreline Podcast, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham welcome Dr. Naomi Rose to the show to discuss the science and ethical considerations of cetacean (that's whales and dolphins, folks!) live capture, trade and captivity. Dr. Rose is the marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC and has advocated for changes in cetacean display practices more than 25 years. She has been a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee since 2000, where she participates in the subcommittees on environmental concerns, small cetaceans, and whale watching. She has authored or co-authored over 45 scientific papers and articles for animal protection publications, as well as chapters in several books.

Show Transcription
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Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.