There is a great concern among people in Canada like ourselves and those of the Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria about legislation in Canada in the overkill fashion that you in the U. S. are faced with. We have modified the existing legislation so that it is not too tough to live with. So far, the government is withstanding considerable pressure from environmental groups, and is using their own research and that of the scientific community. However, there is definitely a concern and a need for the scientific associations to feed the government data that will keep such legislation in the middle-of-the-road.

A quick overview shows conditions to be similar to that of the country itself; small areas of population with great gaps in between. Canada is a country with a large amount of natural resources, and management of these resources seems to be the avenue that is pursued. Aquaculture hasn't really come into its own as yet, and as such is more a management of resource by the government rather than farming. However, there is some fish farming on the prairies in Manitoba. Interestingly, there have been a couple of private farms started on Vancouver Island with moderate success, along with a government funded aquaculture program for the native Indians.

In the marine mammal situation in the oceanaria, there is almost no movement of marine mammals across Canada. Larger cetaceans are primarily housed in Niagara Falls, Vancouver and Victoria. There is a moratorium on killer whales with a permit system that allows for their taking by licensed exhibitors only on a replacement basis.

There are rumblings from commercial fishermen, due to the rather significant increase in protected mammal populations, putting pressure on the government to allow for the harvesting of sea lions.

Government austerity has shut down research on whales, while the increase in value of animals has shut down exhibits from doing research, especially on animals that may be hard to replace. Valuable animals will probably only be worked on when they are sick, with case histories and post mortems as the only "research" being done. There is limited research at some universities.