Size

Winter and Hope’s permanent home is a Fifty five foot square tank that in the 70’s was a sewage treatment plant. I cannot believe the government regulations for pool size allows two dolphins to live in an area this small. Adult dolphins are usually between six to eight feet in length. Relatively speaking that would be like two people sharing a room 42 feet long and 21 feet wide for the rest of their lives.

       Promises

In the summer of  1990 Clearwater Marine Science Center reported plans for a newer and bigger aquarium. It never happened. 

May of 2011 Clearwater Marine Aquarium (new name) announced plans for a 12 million dollar expansion to coincide with the release of Dolphin Tale Two movie (national release tomorrow 9/12/2014). It never happened.

February 2013 Clearwater Marine Aquarium again announces plans for new 160 million dollar, 200,000 square-foot aquarium in downtown Clearwater. This would include 2,000-seat dolphin stadium. According to the Tampa Bay Times it will need to raise millions from donors and corporations, as well as from the city, county, state and federal governments. No donations from the millions made from two movies? Hmmm!

November 2013 (9 months later) Clearwater Marine Aquarium reports they may have to scale back size of new facility. Chief Operating Officer Frank Dame is quoted in the Tampa Bay Times as saying the new 150,000 (note it was 200,000 back in February) square-foot aquarium could draw up to 2.1 million visitors a year. He is also quoted as saying “The important thing for us not to lose sight of is: This is going to be Winter’s new home. Do you need 200,000 square feet to tell the story or can you do it in 150,000 feet? I don’t think it will have much of an impact.”

August 2014 after Ric O’Barry releases a video entitled “The Dolphin Truth”  www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqQlPdqEIjQ   and Cleawater Marine Aquarium unveils yet another plan that is not going to use dolphins for shows and yet David Yates, the aquarium’s CEO’s twitter handle was @Wintersagent until “The Dolphin Truth” was released and then within hours it was changed to @RRRand More. Please watch the video to see the new plans that have a very small tank for the dolphins in comparison to the rest of the facility. Will it happen? Time will tell. 

                               Condition

Clearwater Marine Aquarium has been cited five times by the United States Department of Agriculture for problems that have the potential to harm marine animals as reported in the Tampa Bay Times in August of 2013. The Times reports that between September of 2010 and June of 2013 USDA inspectors cited the Clearwater Aquarium for violations regarding chipping paint and rust in the dolphin pool, salinity levels being too high, storing fresh food in poor conditions,  failing to perform certain bacteria tests on the pool water. All were violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. These conditions have been corrected.

 

                        Please note tank conditions. Rust, chipped paint and what looks like mold

      Staff

First and foremost I want to say that every time I have visited the aquarium the volunteer staff and trainers show great care for these animals.

I am so disappointed that volunteer staff seems to be undereducated about dolphins and readily gives out answers such as Hope can’t be released because she doesn’t know what a shark looks like.

On one of my first visits to Clearwater Aquarium in 2012 I asked why Hope and Winter were separated when Winter was obviously distressed. Above picture is also Winter and Hope kept apart. Staff member said they would possibly fight. According to a trainer that is entirely false.

Nik who stays alone in his own separate pool with no shade had a male partner named Indy for six years. Indy died and now Nick is alone. On three separate occasions different staff members told me that “in the wild” male dolphins prefer to live alone. This is totally untrue. Male dolphins actually form alliances with at least one other dolphin and these alliances may last a lifetime. Some male alliances will actually team up with other male alliances to form what is called a coalition to subdue a female. They will come and go with original pod but rarely will any dolphin male or female live in isolation.

First Dolphin Tale movie reportedly made 95 million dollars but Winter and Hope who made it all possible not receiving any noticeable benefits. 

This is a review that I took off of the internet. It sums up the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

January 22, 2014

This has to be the worst marine/aquarium I’ve ever visited. It’s billed as a sort of hospital for sick sea creatures but this is just a sympathy grabber to get you to part with your money. The pathetically small holding tanks look to be cruel to the dolphins and the exhibits are far outnumbered by the masses of people working there as ushers, souvenir shop workers, etc. If this is the price to pay to save 2 dolphins and a couple of turtles then maybe they need to rethink their strategy.