Recommendations for the care and maintenance of marine mammals © Canadian Council on Animal Care, 2014 ISBN: 978-0-919087-57-6 Canadian Council on Animal Care 190 O’Connor St., Suite 800 Ottawa ON K2P 2R3 http://www.ccac.ca Acknowledgements The development of the Recommendations for the care and maintenance of marine mammals was com- missioned to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). To complete this task, the CCAC Standards Committee created the ad hoc subcommittee on marine mammals. We acknowledge and thank all the members of the subcommittee who worked together to develop, review, and guide this document through to publication: Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust, University of Prince Edward Island Mr. John Ford, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Mr. Henrik Kreiberg, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Dr. Clément Lanthier, Calgary Zoo Dr. Kay Mehren, Veterinarian Emeritus, Toronto Zoo Ms. Tracy Stewart, Marineland of Canada Mr. Clint Wright, Vancouver Aquarium Dr. Gilly Griffin, Canadian Council on Animal Care We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the dedication and vision of Dr. Jon Lien (Memo- rial University, deceased 2010), the Committee’s first Chair. Jon played a pivotal role in the creation of this document. It was the Lien Report: A review of live- capture and captivity of marine mammals in Canada that inspired DFO to request that CCAC develop recommendations for the care and maintenance of marine mammals. His vision became a collective goal - to improve the quality of life for all marine mammals held in captivity. This document lives on as a legacy to his vision and leadership. Lastly, the CCAC extends its gratitude to the many other volunteers, organizations and associations that provided review of this guidelines document. We especially acknowledge the contributions of Mr. Neal Overstrom and Mr. Bob van Tongerloo, who provided important assistance in developing early drafts. Dr. Mark Torchia Chair of the CCAC Board of Directors Table of Contents tABle oF contents PReFAce.........................................................................................................................1 sUmmARY oF tHe RecommendAtions listed in tHis docUment .................3 2. GENERAl consideRAtions ..............................................................................15 2.1 Rationale for Developing these Recommendations ...............................................................................15 2.2 Applicability ...............................................................................................................................................15 2.3 Definition of Institutions, Facilities and Enclosures ..............................................................................15 2.4 Ethics ...........................................................................................................................................................16 2.4.1 Acquisition of wild versus captive animals ..................................................................................16 2.4.2 Marine mammal care ....................................................................................................................17 2.4.3 Education and research .................................................................................................................17 2.4.4 Release of marine mammals to the wild .......................................................................................18 2.5 Responsibilities ...........................................................................................................................................19 2.5.1 Responsibilities of the animal ethics committee ..........................................................................19 2.5.2 Responsibilities of the educational committee .............................................................................20 2.5.3 Responsibilities of the institution and facility management .........................................................20 2.5.4 Responsibilities of the veterinarian ..............................................................................................21 2.5.5 Responsibilities of animal care staff and trainers .........................................................................22 2.5.6 Responsibilities of research investigators ....................................................................................22 3.A F cilities ..............................................................................................................24 3.1 New Facilities .............................................................................................................................................24 3.1.1 Open ocean enclosures .......................................................................................................................24 3.2 Enclosure Design ........................................................................................................................................24 3.2.1 Type of facility ..............................................................................................................................25 3.2.2 Spatial requirements of enclosures ...............................................................................................26 3.2.3 Haul-outs ......................................................................................................................................27 3.2.4 Acoustics .....................................................................................................................................28 3.2.5 Lighting ........................................................................................................................................28 3.2.6 Freedom from harassment by public ............................................................................................28 3.2.7 Structural considerations ..............................................................................................................29 3.2.8 Surfaces and finishes ....................................................................................................................29 3.2.9 Drainage .......................................................................................................................................30 3.2.10 Nets and gates ...............................................................................................................................30 3.2.11 Power supply ................................................................................................................................31 3.2.12 Landscaping ..................................................................................................................................31 Recommendations for the care and maintenance of marine mammals i Table of Contents 3.3 Water ...........................................................................................................................................................31 3.3.1 Water supply .................................................................................................................................31 3.3.2 Water circulation and hydrodynamics ..........................................................................................32 3.3.3 Water systems and processing ......................................................................................................32 3.3.4 Water filtration ..............................................................................................................................33 3.3.5 Water treatment .............................................................................................................................33 3.4 Support Facilities .......................................................................................................................................34 3.5 Animal Surgery / Veterinary Facilities ....................................................................................................35 3.6 Facility Requirements for Public Contact Programs .............................................................................36 3.7 Security .......................................................................................................................................................36 4.A F cilitY mAnAgement, oPeRAtion And mAintenAnce ...........................37 4.1 Facility Records .........................................................................................................................................37 4.2 Environmental Control and Monitoring .................................................................................................37 4.2.1 Water quality .................................................................................................................................37 4.2.2 pH .................................................................................................................................................38 4.2.3 Salinity ..........................................................................................................................................38 4.2.4 Micro-organisms ...........................................................................................................................38 4.2.5 Temperature and humidity ............................................................................................................39