This month we are going to be discussing the importance of Shamu, a renowned group of orcas who’s infamy led to the creation of Shamu the Whale Day on September 26th. Shamu was the name of the very first killer whale to be captured, housed, and shown at SeaWorld. An orca, or killer whale, is a marine mammal that is very similar to a dolphin! It is an apex predator that feeds on fish, squid, sharks, rays, whales and more. While the name “killer whale” might suggest a close relation to whales, this name actually came from sailors’ recounts of seeing orca pods hunting whales. While the first Shamu and Shamus to proceed her were able to perform seemingly innocent and impressionate tricks for children and families, the backstories behind these whales’ lives are much less joyous. Shamu, originally captured in 1965 at around three-years-old, was taken from her mother who died from a harpoon injury. Shamu only survived six years in captivity, and had a tumultuous performing life with incidents that occurred with divers over the course of her career. But the performance of a killer whale for the public was such a fascinating concept that many crowds were unconcerned by the conditions Shamu was living under, or the ways in which she acted out.

SeaWorld created breeding programs in the hopes of expanding their shows and training more orcas to perform. Their first success was September 26th, 1985 when a female orca named Kalina, later recognized as Baby Shamu, was born and survived in captivity. SeaWorld decided to monetize the title “Shamu,” using it for many of its orcas and shows, franchising the lives of their killer whales. Many aspects of SeaWorld’s use of orcas have been criticized by environmental enthusiasts, animal lovers, and the general public. The orcas who formerly lived in the wild went from having a migration range of thousands of miles in their natural habitat to tanks less than a hundred feet wide. At an individual level this can affect physical health by limiting their exercise, collapsing their dorsal fins with excessive surface-dwelling, and teeth-grinding that can wear down their teeth and increase the risk of infection. The enclosures also induce psychological challenges for the orcas; these typically social animals that travel in a group or “pod” of potentially thirty orcas, are now isolated alone in a tank. The treatment of orcas in captivity has also been under scrutiny as many question whether the breeding of animals solely for entertainment is ethical. Thankfully, Shamu the Whale Day allows us to learn about these wonderful marine mammals and the mistreatment they have endured under our care. This September 26th we can remember all the Shamus stories’, both the good and the bad, and reflect on how we will strive to treat every creature with the compassion and respect they deserve!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people took up gardening in their backyard as a hobby during quarantine and shut downs. Surprisingly, there is also a unique group of fish that gardens too! These underwater gardeners are called damselfish, and they come in many different shapes and sizes! There are roughly 250 different species of damselfish, all within the Pomacentridae family, and in all different shades. Some species are all neon blues and yellows, while others are in drab grays and browns, and others even change color depending on their age! 

Most damselfish are herbivores– they eat filamentous, or soft algae, which they “garden” on coral reefs patches. Coral reefs are a good home for damselfish because they offer lots of little crevices to shelter in, but are in shallow enough water where sunlight can reach the damselfish’s algae garden. When a male damselfish has found a good patch of coral reef with filamentous algae, he will fiercely defend this algae patch from other grazing fish, allowing his algae garden to grow into a thick algal mat for the damselfish to harvest. 

Damselfish are not only highly territorial and aggressive over their algal gardens, but also their nests and eggs. When mating, some species of damselfish will groom a rocky surface to clear it for the female to lay her eggs in. Once the female has laid her eggs, the male will guard them fiercely day and night from predators. Breeding seems to follow the moon, or lunar cycles; scientists hypothesize this is because the phase of the moon affects visibility at night and the male’s ability to guard against night time predators. Similar to how the males nurture their algal garden, they also tend to their eggs– in addition to protecting them from predators the damselfish fan the eggs to remove sand & debris and remove fungus-infected eggs. Talk about dedicated dads!

When you think of Shamu the Whale, or any other memorable marine animal that has become connected in your memory to a place, do you ever think about what it means for that animal to have lived there? There are many benefits for an animal to live in captivity, especially if that animal would’ve had a hard time living in their native home, but there are also many downsides too, ones that we don’t like to think about.

Have you ever felt trapped in a place? That feeling of being trapped could start because the space is small, or uncomfortable due to the temperature and amount of light, or you have no one to talk to and that you feel lonely and without connection. The sad truth is that animals in captivity feel the exact same way, and some live their entire lives feeling trapped. 

Looking specifically at marine life, a whale, orca, or dolphin, might be held in captivity because their natural habitat is no longer livable, they are being studied by scientists, they are endangered, or simply because a new aquarium was opening. The life that they live in captivity is vastly different to the one they would’ve been living at home. For instance, whales and dolphins travel long distances every day! When being held in captivity, however, they aren’t able to travel very far at all. Think of how cooped up you feel when you have a lot of energy or want to see your friends, but you can’t. Because these animals are constantly moving when in the ocean, they make the most of it! Going up and down, from side to side, and only coming to the surface 10–20% of their lives. However, because their enclosures are often very small, they come up to the surface much more often, which can cause problems with their skin. Though 1% of orcas in the wild experience dorsal fin collapse, a much larger percentage experiences it in captivity. Dorsal fins collapse because gravity weighs down on their fin when it is outside of the water. Orcas in captivity also often knaw or bite the bars of their enclosures, causing severe damage to their teeth. 

Both whales and dolphins live in close-knit family units that they do everything with, but are often separated from when in captivity. That loneliness can make these social creatures very unhappy. The feeling of being lonely is universal, but for us it often passes, or can easily be fixed by talking to someone; for the marine animals held in captivity, that loneliness might never go away. In these lonely environments where there is nowhere to go, no one to talk to, and no comforting sights or sounds from home, these animals can become very stressed. Unfortunately, that feeling can cause long term health problems for these animals, often meaning that their lives are shorter than their families who still live in the wild.

Not all marine animals live these sad lives, but many who live in environments that are for-profit, meaning that they make their money from ticket sales, often do. There is no reason for the people holding them in captivity to make their lives comfortable, because at the end of the day, they only care that they are making money. Though it seems like a business like this will always thrive as long as people continue to want to see their animals, there are things that you can do to help! Organizations like the Humane Society, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, or marine-life specific organizations like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society or the Marine Conservation Society do a lot to advocate against the mistreatment of marine animals. Donating to them, boosting their cause through speaking up or taking action are all things you can do to stop the capture of marine animals and the mistreatment they endure while in captivity. One of the most important things you can do is to stay informed; while it's not fun to read about these issues, don’t let it make you sad– know that you can do something to help!