A History of Beluga Captures in Alaska
Alaska has the United States’ only beluga population, so it is not surprising that the capture of wild belugas for aquariums ended up taking place in the Last Frontier.
The first victims of the Alaskan beluga captures were Bertha and Louey, captured in 1958. Intended to be sent to the New York Aquarium, these whales died shorty after capture; Louey passed away at the airport and Bertha succumbed to a pulmonary injury sustained during the capture just 45 minutes before the plane landed in New York.
Three more belugas were captured on September 4th, 1958 in the Kvichak River. One whale, named Bertha 2d, was still a calf. She survived a few weeks at the New York Aquarium and died of gastritis. She ate fish but it is thought she was in desperate need of milk due to her young age. The two other belugas captured with Bertha 2d, named Buttercup and possibly Malcolm, were sent to Pacific Ocean Park in California. Nobody knows what happened to them.
Three belugas were captured in 1961 and were sent to the New York Aquarium. One beluga, Alex, was transported to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut in May 1976. He died June 1st, 1984. The two others were named Charlie and Bertha and it is unknown when they died.
Bela and Lugosi were both captured in 1967 and were transported a few days apart to the Vancouver Aquarium. Bela died sometime in 1967 and Lugosi died in 1980. These were the last two recorded beluga captures in the state of Alaska.
Let us never forget these unfortunate creatures who were captured solely so people could gawk at them through the glass tanks.