… Keeping suffering beings in captivity for profit can not be the basis for a moral justification: there are examples of financially successful aquariums (e.g. Monterey Bay) that do not have captive cetaceans.

There is one further moral issue. Why the fuss only about whales and dolphins. What about the other living creatures in the aquarium. This is a relevant moral debate, but it must not be conducted at the risk of paralysis to immediate action.

On a moral continuum most people will relate easier to issues concerning the quality of life of large, highly intelligent social beings such as whales and dolphins, than to the quality of life of smaller forms of life such as tropical fish.

We know that whales and dolphins do not adapt well to captivity. There is evidence that dolphins may actually have self-awareness, a realm of consciousness that until now humans have reserved for themselves.

We know that whales and dolphins suffer greatly when confined to small pools. This knowledge should be enough to motivate us to end this barbaric practice, even while we consider the broader moral issues involving other captive animals.