GEORGETOWN, Cayman Islands-
The Cayman Islands will not issue any more licenses to operate captive dolphin facilities, a government official said, following a public outcry against allowing dolphin aquariums in the British territory.
The moratorium on issuing new licenses and new government regulations regarding the sites were announced by Tourism and Environment Minister Charles Clifford.
There are no dolphin aquariums in the Caymans, but two companies are in the planning stages of building two such sites. They will be allowed to open once they have met new stricter criteria laid out in the government’s new policy, which mandates that the facilities satisfy regulatory requirements, such as water discharge, land use, public health animal welfare and environmental impacts.
The proposed dolphin aquariums were approved a few years ago under a previous administration. They were met with public opposition, including protests and a man who drives around Grand Cayman with a van bearing a sign that reads, “Keep Dolphins Free.” The dolphins are supposed to come from captive dolphin facilities.
