Mystic Aquarium Fined $12K After Improper Care Of Beluga Whales: Docs

MYSTIC, CT — Mystic Aquarium has been fined $12,200 after being accused of improper care of one of their beluga whales before his death and of having high bacteria levels in the water, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture documents obtained by CTPost.

Aquarium staff failed to protect their 5-year-old beluga whale named Havok, who had vision problems and was known for being spooked, from injury by placing a net into a main pool to retrieve a foreign object dropped by a visitor, causing Havok to ram into a gate as he retreated to a holding pool, an Aug. 13 settlement agreement said.

Havok damaged his face in the incident, re-opening previous wounds and causing new ones, according to the documents.

"Handling of all animals shall be done in a manner that does not cause physical harm," officials said, in part, in the document. "Foreign objects falling into exhibits from members of the public is an anticipated occurrence. The handling of the whales during the response to the foreign object falling into the pool was not done as carefully as possible."

Officials allege that later that summer, aquarium staff failed to notify veterinarians of concerning behaviors Havok was exhibiting in the hours leading up to his death, including "gaspy" breathing and "active bleeding." Havok died on the morning of Aug. 6, 2021.

Finally, the document states that officials discovered excessive bacteria levels in two pools housing two beluga whales named Jetta and Havana.

During this same period, there are entries in Havana’s medical record documenting instances of eye inflammation, lack of appetite, gastrointestinal discomfort, and rubbing the skin of her fluke and snout on the sides of the pool, officials said.

By accepting the $12,200 fine, the aquarium's Sea Research Foundation will neither admit nor deny the allegations and avoid further civil legal action by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

In May 2021, five beluga whales were transferred to Mystic Aquarium from Canada's Marineland. By the end of 2023, three of them had died. The first was Havok, then Havana, who died in February 2022, and then Kharabal, who died in December 2023.

Mystic Aquarium said at the time that the whales "were found to have underlying incurable conditions which led to their deaths that were unable to be diagnosed while alive."

Mystic Aquarium’s Arctic Coast is the largest outdoor beluga whale habitat in the United States at 750,000 gallons, according to the aquarium's website. Beluga whales are found solely in the Northern Hemisphere and inhabit the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean and subarctic regions.