With the summer holidays approaching, many families are planning their recreational activities. Whether abroad or in Germany, a visit to an aquarium is often on the agenda, especially when the sea is in sight but its inhabitants remain out of reach. Prominent among these attractions are the Sea Life and Sea World aquariums, alongside dolphinariums operated by the Merlin Entertainments Group. However, behind the facade of shimmering aquatic worlds lie declining visitor numbers, critical incidents and an increasing number of closures. This raises a fundamental question: do sharks, dolphins and orcas belong in captivity? Our answer is unequivocal: No.
Animal welfare and entertainment: an irreconcilable conflict
Commercial entertainment and genuine animal welfare are, in most cases, mutually exclusive. In our view, so-called "shows" featuring orcas and dolphins, where these animals are compelled to perform unnatural tricks, should be strictly prohibited.
Furthermore, aquariums are frequently restocked with wild-caught fish and sharks. The industry narrative that many species are successfully bred in captivity does not withstand critical scrutiny: breeding programmes are complex and costly—ordinarily far more expensive than importing wild-caught specimens from around the globe. Consequently, the popular regal blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), famously known as "Dory", is invariably sourced from the wild. The same applies to most shark species exhibited in public aquariums.
Many of these animals do not survive capture and transport. For those that do reach the tanks, life expectancy is typically short; they die prematurely and are discreetly replaced behind the scenes—once again with wild-caught specimens.
Thus, public aquariums project a distorted image of nature. The tanks are a pale imitation of living oceans, where animal behaviour is characterised by stress and a lack of stimuli—conditions that are far from natural.
Our recommendation: avoid commercial aquariums
We therefore strongly advise against visiting commercial aquariums and dolphinariums. For those wishing to learn more about the background of the aquarium industry, detailed information is available in our current factsheet: https://elasmocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ElasmOcean_Factsheet_Aquarien_2024_11.pdf
