Georgia Aquarium Goes to Court vs. NOAA

The aquarium filed papers Monday in U.S. District Court for judicial review of the denial.

It contends the decision by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contradicts the scientific research the aquarium submitted with its application.

According to Georgia Aquarium spokesman Scott Higley, “The real issue is that the denial truly threatens the sustainability of Belugas in our conservation program, and you know, essentially would preclude us from being able to maintain our population of animals in human care. And if we lose that population, we lose our ability to be able to affect what happens to the animals, their wild counterparts, in their natural habitats.”

The 18 whales are currently housed in Russia. The Georgia Aquarium has been supporting their care for about five years, says Higley, but he declined to say how much the aquarium has spent on that care.

NOAA says there was unprecedented opposition to the application and that it is now reviewing the aquarium's court action.

NOAA has posted an overview and details about the Georgia Aquarium's application regarding the beluga whales.  This includes the original request, an explanation of NOAA's decision, and documentation from numerous meetings and communications between NOAA and the Georgia Aquarium.