Columnist: Lawmakers Should Ignore Blackfish

In his February 14 U.S. News & World Report column, Peter Roff takes aim at radical activists and their ongoing campaign against zoos and aquariums. He says it would be foolish for policymakers to change laws governing zoological institutions because of propaganda like Blackfish.

Mr. Roff starts off:

Conservationists used to celebrate zoos and the like for their ability to aid in the preservation of endangered species, their usefulness as a teaching tool so that people could learn more about the animal kingdom and because they were useful in explaining to children, who were enthralled by the sights and sounds and smells, that this was a big planet that needed to be shared.

No more, now that the so-called green movement has linked up with the fringes of the animal rights movement to create a leading wedge designed to put an end to zoological parks of all kinds.

Mr. Roff goes on to address the numerous bills and ordinances that are being considered in state houses, city halls and even in Washington, DC targeting zoos and aquariums.

So what is motivating these measures?

One motivation behind Ranker’s bill and other similar efforts around the country, according to the free market-oriented National Center for Public Policy Research is “Blackfish,” an advocacy film that has aired repeatedly on CNN.  This even though Jennifer Dargan, CNN’s director of public relations, “conceded” to the Center’s Jeff Stier – who runs the nonprofit group’s risk analysis division – “that the film was ‘acquired’ by the news organization and did not adhere to any of CNN’s journalistic standards,” he said in a release.

Mr. Roff concludes that sound science should drive public policy, not the radical activists’ propaganda.

It’s really the so-called animal activists who are the selfish ones. They’ve seen the killer whales in the aquarium and the pandas at the zoo and are content, apparently, to let future generations get by with computer simulations and holograms. They’re trying to drive policy by pulling on the heart-strings of children. Policymakers would be foolish to listen to them and should, instead, insure that any change in the laws concerning the care of animals and fish and birds in U.S. facilities must arise out of sound zoological practice and marine science, not out of the radical animal rights agenda and what might look alarming on film.

Read Mr. Roff’s full column here.

And sign up for AwesomeOcean’s newsletter below so you can stay informed about marine life and the people who dedicate their lives to conservation efforts day-by-day.