Public attitudes toward marine mammal captivity have shifted dramatically since the 1960s. The welfare evidence base now strongly challenges the viability of adequate welfare for large cetaceans in captivity.
The welfare case against orca captivity is now among the strongest in zoo animal ethics. Orca are neurologically complex, socially intricate, wide-ranging animals whose captive welfare cannot be adequately provided regardless of resources invested. The evidence — collapsed dorsal fins, abnormal social dynamics, high mortality, and stereotypic behaviors — demonstrates systemic welfare failure inherent to the system itself. For smaller cetaceans, the welfare picture is more nuanced, but the fundamental tension between captive constraints and the behavioral ecology of wild marine mammals remains significant.