The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been receptive to two proposals to implement the plan to relocate Luna (L-98), the orca who has been living alone in British Columbia for two years. The two groups that submitted these proposals are the Vancouver Aquarium, and the Seattle-based Global Research and Rescue. The Whale Museum submitted a proposal for Phase III with the Vancouver Aquarium. In this proposal the Vancouver Aquarium would be serving as the "principal" on Phase I (initial capture, transport and relocation) and Phase II (holding, tagging and release), and The Whale Museum serving as the "principal" on Phase III (post release monitoring and stewardship). The Whale Museum also sent in the Phase III portion of the proposal separately to DFO so that The Whale Museum could be considered as a sub-contractor for Phase III, whomever received the final contract.

It has been recently suggested in the press "that both groups that propose to move four-year-old Luna have concluded spring could be a better time to make the move." For clarification, The Whale Museum has always maintained that releasing Luna this fall was the best approach for success, and has not changed its position. The Whale Museum does not think releasing Luna next spring or summer has as much chance for success. Left in Nootka Sound over the winter again, for a third year, would further Luna’s habituation to people and isolation from his own kind. In addition, the increase in boating traffic that he would be exposed to in Haro Strait during the spring or summer could severely distract his reunification and would make the logistics of the plan much more difficult and costly to implement.

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For more information on Luna, click here.

The Whale Museum, © 2003