Commentary: Killer whales deserve to swim free

Last month, Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) introduced a groundbreaking bill in regards to orcas, also known as killer whales, in captivity in California.

This bill is the first of its kind and, if passed, will prohibit the public display of orcas in California and retire those currently in the state to a less-stressful life in sea pens.

It is the first step toward ending the global exploitation of a species that was never suited to live in captivity.

Naomi Rose is a leading marine biologist on captive cetaceans, with more than 20 years of dedicating her work to improve the lives of whales in captivity. Along with the Animal Welfare Institute, she is co-sponsoring the bill.

Why should Californians adopt this bill?

California has always been a leader when it comes to the protection of animals. Orcas are one of the most intelligent mammals on the planet. The do not do well in captivity.

Orcas in captivity spend hours at a time hanging at the surface of the water — in the wild they never do this, instead swimming dozens of miles in straight lines, often covering 100 miles in a day. This is one of the reasons, experts say, they live shorter lives in captivity.

The fully collapsed dorsal fins that many of the killer whales at Sea World have are symptoms of captivity and are the result of simple, inevitable gravity, a force that has little power over wild orcas, who spend most of their time below the sea surface.

And perhaps most significant — from a welfare perspective — orcas in the wild live in family groups for life. In captivity, families are rarely left intact, with sons and daughters moved about, to minimize the disruption of performances and the potential for inbreeding, a problem unknown in the wild.

So what can you, as a resident of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach or Irvine, do to support the bill? You can call, email or even write a letter to our Assembly member, Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa). Here is how to send him an email: arc.asm.ca.gov/member/AD74/?p=addresses.

You can also write Bloom and show him support. Here is the link to his contact information: lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=AD50.

If you can get to Sacramento to support the committee hearing on this, then that will have the most impact. The meeting is Tuesday.

You can also contact the members of the Assembly’s Parks, Water and Wildlife Committee at awpw.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff.

Some animals should not be held captive. Sea World can still make the lives of these wonderful whales better by putting them in sea pens. People will still be able to enjoy them without watching them perform circus tricks and live a life of captivity.

Let’s do our part, as Californians, to enjoy these whales where they belong, in the ocean with their families.

Ocean Wildlife advocate JEREMY OLSON lives in Costa Mesa.