Whales that are held in captivity are an extremely controversial and subjective topic. Many people of different views will have a more conservative viewpoint and others may be more liberal. Using these whales for entertainment has both its pros and cons: the opportunity to see animals that are not common with human life, and the idea of imprisoning whales. Arguments can be made also about scientific research on the animals themselves which people are hesitant to accept. There will always be naysayers in a situation such as whale captivity, and it will be in everyone’s best interest to try to understand both sides especially for those who do not have full knowledge of this situation. I feel that capturing whales can be acceptable as long as the people doing these acts are transparent with the public with their information and that they create more natural living spaces for these whales to live in.

The idea of using and capturing whales for entertainment purposes is the aspect which people associate negative connotation with. With the film Blackfish, it helps dictate an extremely different perspective on Seaworld. From watching Blackfish, the film portrays Seaworld in a very negative matter whether the creators of Blackfish say so or not. Former Seaworld trainers, incidents, and documented court cases on Seaworld provide evidence pertaining to both treatment of the whales and workers. By instilling much subtle pathos in this film, it does a beautiful job of creating impressions in people’s minds that Seaworld is abusive towards the animals and they lie to the public and trainers. After watching this film, it also takes away some hidden benefits that Seaworld brings to the public. Marine parks such as Seaworld give the public the opportunity to interact with marine animals. Blackfish does such a wonderful job instilling the negative emotions into people’s heads, that people forget that they give these opportunities to people in the first place. It also is quite an experience for workers to be able to trainer and cultivate a relationship with these whales that people can sometimes overlook.

Capturing whales in captivity also has its pros and cons in the world of science. The idea of capturing whales for science and possibly science testing can have a negative connotation to it. Arguments can be made that studying whales in captivity does not give scientists and researchers the fullness of the whales. From watching Blackfish, the comparison of captive and free roaming whales display significant differences that can determine both a whale's authentic emotions and intelligence. Blackfish documents the intelligence of these whales by displaying trainer incidents and questioning whether it was accidental or intentional. Capturing these whales also reeks benefits. Marine parks and aquariums are a great way for both researchers and average citizens to view these animals up close. From having them in such close proximity to humans, researchers are able to study many of the whale’s tendencies, emotions around humans, the ability to interact, learn, and much more. If they were studying whales afar in the ocean, this type of research would not be possible.

Having these whales in captivity for both entertainment and scientific purposes are both acceptable to me, but it depends on the way the people in charge or the researchers portray the way they conduct their desired activities. The biggest issue I had with Seaworld was the fact that they were able to be framed for so many lies. As long as the public eyes is aware of the absolute truth, then it will make it much easier for it to be accepted by everyone. Also the living conditions for the whales themselves. Watching whales in captivity, their living space is extremely small and unnatural. If marine parks and researchers are going to capture these whales, the animals themselves deserve better living conditions if they are going to be held captive a majority of their life.