New regulations and legislation worldwide, financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a change in focus are causing many zoos, aquariums, and theme parks to phase out whale and dolphin programs. The Deep Blue Organization provides a long-term sustainable solution for the retirement of these animals.

Each of our facilities will be designed with the highest animal welfare standards in mind. We will be pursing Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation for each Coastal Habitat. We are also looking into Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) accreditation.

Because each of our Coastal Habitats will contain fewer whales and dolphins, we are able to build on an economy of scale with smaller, easily manageable facilities. This allows us to focus on the whales and dolphins in our care for the coastal waters closest to their point of genetic origin. Factors that will go into the development of each Coastal Habitat include the topography of the land and water area, weather patterns, and the needs of each whale and dolphin. Each sea pen component of the habitat is anticipated to be larger than most exhibition pools and will include a medical examination and treatment area. Some of our Coastal Habitats will also have indoor facilities for housing whales and dolphins.

We are currently evaluating locations in North America, Europe, and Latin America.

We are engaged with veterinarians, animal care specialists, and researchers with international experience. We will provide more information about them in the months ahead.

While there are numerous instances of newly acquired whales or dolphins being returned to the ocean, the process of moving a whale or dolphin that has spent the majority of its life in human care from a zoos, aquariums, and theme parks to a natural seaside facility is still a rare occurrence. Through observation and non-invasive research, our research partners will help us accelerate the preparation and transfer process for future members of our whale and dolphin community.

No. We are operating retirement facilities and will make every effort to prevent natural breeding. Our goal isn’t to create new whales and dolphins, but to provide a comfortable and safe place for whales and dolphins from zoos, aquariums, and theme parks to retire.

No. Direct access to the whales and dolphins will be limited to The Deep Blue Organization staff, our veterinary animal care consultants, and our research partners. Dependent on location, some Coastal Habitats will feature a number of distanced public observation areas.

When visiting the Coastal Habitats, you may see whales and dolphins performing behaviors with our animal care specialists. These are not public shows, but rather enrichment sessions designed to maintain and improve the whales and dolphins physical and mental health. It is important to remember that although the whales and dolphins will be living in a natural ocean environment, they will still be dependent on human care.

We are planning revenue centers adjacent to or near some of our Coastal Habitats that will provide supplementary income in the annual upkeep and expansion of our Coastal Habitat program. These revenue centers will not replace donations, but will supplement them and allow us to spread our important message of the roles whales and dolphins play in ocean conservation. We believe it is important to embrace each community where our Coastal Habitats are developed, and these revenue centers will provide employment for locals in each of our communities. You will learn about what we will be offering in the near future.

Our core values entail minimizing the worlds impact on our whales and dolphins, but maximize their impact on the world. We treat each whale and dolphin as an individual, with their own unique personality, and cater to each as such. For our conservation and climate change outreach programs, we take those personalities and expand upon them, so as you learn something new about how to save our precious planet, you also learn about what makes each of the whales and dolphins in our care unique.