As part of DFE’s ongoing efforts to address the issue of wild-caught harbour porpoises being held at Danish facility Fjord & Baelt for research purposes, a joint letter from Dolphinaria-Free Europe (DFE), and our member organisation World Animal Protection (WAP) Denmark, has been sent to Lea Wermelin, the Danish Minister for the Environment, and Rasmus Prehn, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, asking for an independent assessment to be undertaken of the two most recently acquired harbour porpoises at the facility to determine their suitability for a careful, monitored release back into the wild.
It is our belief that keeping porpoises for the purpose of research is not a valid reason to hold them captive. We are therefore asking for an end to granting exemption permits to Fjord & Baelt that legally authorise them to retain bycaught harbour porpoises. We are also asking the authorities to prohibit any future retention of ‘rescued’ or ‘bycaught’ porpoises at Fjord & Baelt.