Name: Meng-Yuan Chung

Student number: 24272618

URL: https://youtu.be/BBr4UfyXc8g?si=QJ6g5tOwyL1HXCTe

Script: Acknowledgement of country

We acknowledge the Yugambeh people, Bundjalung Nation, the Traditional
Custodians of the land where we live, work, and play today. We pay our respects to
their Elders, past, present, and emerging, and recognize their ongoing connection to
this beautiful country, Gold Coast.
We also deep understanding the possess of the land’s ecosystems and the balance
that exists between nature and humanity. We appreciate, and pay respect to the
land, the ocean, and extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people who call this land home and to their unique and enduring cultures.

The Proposal: dolphin breeding in dolphinarium (1938-currently)

This magazine proposal is to introduce the history of the establishment of a
dolphinarium in year 1938 and Marine Mammals protection Act (MMPA, people who
stand on animal rights) with different perspectives on “captivity”. In the last of the
story connected to the Gold Coast where we live, the Sea World Gold Coast has also
been facing the same controversy (Ciccarelli, 2019).
The summaries of the story
Since 1860 to the present, humans and cetaceans have had complex ethical
relationships due to capture and captivity. London was the first country to display
dolphins in the aquarium. Gradually, many countries have begun to keep dolphins in
captivity, especially in New York and Europe. However, lots of dolphins die due to
immature transportation technology between year 1860 to 1930 (Senate select
committee on animal welfare, 1985).

Around the 1940s, it was discovered that dolphins could be trained in addition to
being displayed. The first dolphinarium “Marine studios Aquarium” was established
in Florida in 1938. The dolphins were trained to be entertainment and for public
viewing. Furthermore, many aquarium employees have begun researching
techniques for capturing and transporting dolphins and even medicines to treat
dolphins. As a result, over the next decade large numbers of dolphins were kept in
captivity in aquariums around the world.

In 1950, a fisherman accidentally caught a dolphin in the Tweed River in Australia,

and the dolphins that were accidentally captured were placed in a public swimming
pool. (Senate select committee on animal welfare, 1985). Then, the first
dolphinarium was successfully established in Australia due to the commercial
intention behind it. The capture of large numbers of dolphins for commercial
interests has also led to a significant decrease in the number of dolphins in the
world. As a result, in 1960 many non-profit groups were formed to protect cetaceans.
In 1972, Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was enacted to protect marine
mammal animals because of the amount of dolphinariums were established.

Moving to today in 2023, these historic developments have affected the Sea World
Gold Coast where closest to us, which continues to face the same ethical issues in
dolphin captivity (Ciccarelli, 2019).

Connecting locally:
Let's have a look at some interesting historical events and time points since the
establishment of the aquarium. The first dolphin captivity and displayed at London’s
Westminster Aquarium in 1860. The first dolphin bottlenose dolphin displayed at the
New York’s Aquarian Garden Aquarium. After that, the first Dolphinarium
“Marineland Studios” was opened in Florida in 1938. Dolphins are trained in various
skills in the dolphinarium and performed for the audience. Also, the first dolphin
successfully born in human care was born at Marineland. In 1950, The first
Dolphinariums was established in Australia Tweed river, NSW. Then, there are 8
Dolphinariums were established in Australia from 1969-1981, and there are 3 species
Dolphinarium were established in Sea World Gold Coast. In 1972, Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) was enacted to protect marine mammal animals. 69% of
Australian voters thought that Australia must stop whaling in project Jonah in 1977,
so the federal government banned commercial whaling in Australia in the next year.
There are several arguments for keeping dolphins in captivity since 1990. Then, the
Indian Ministry of Environment and Forest prohibited the captivity of dolphin in
2013. It also effected to Australia. In 2021, Australia NSW government announced to
ban the captive breeding of dolphins, whales, orcas, and porpoises. And in 2023, Sea
World in Gold Coast Queensland is the only one in Australia breeding dolphins in
captivity.

Perspective 1: The first dolphinarium in Florida in year 1938

After London became the first country to capture dolphins in 1860, Florida in United
State established the first dolphinarium “Marine Studios” in 1938 for commercial
benefit and trained dolphins in various skills for entertainment (Senate select
committee on animal welfare, 1985).
Marine Studios was the first oceanarium around the world, and it built as an
underwater studio for filming marine life. Oceanariums are harder to control salinity,
acidity, and temperature than freshwater aquariums (Britannica, 2013).
When the Marine Studios opened in Florida, lots of people found the advertisements
in newspapers and television and bought a ticket to visit Marine Studios (Florida
History Network, 1938). There are lots of various videos and photos of dolphin
feeding shows in filming at television. The establishment of the dolphinarium
successfully attracted the attention of other countries and influenced history. After
that, many dolphinariums were rapidly established around the world since 1960s .
What makes Australia different from other countries is that the first dolphinarium
established in Australia was started by a fisherman who accidentally caught a dolphin
in Tweed River in 1950 (Senate select committee on animal welfare, 1985). The
establishment of the first dolphinarium in NSW led to the establishment of
dolphinariums in other Australian states, such as Sea World Gold Coast which nearby
us.

Perspective 2: The establishment of Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) in

1972
Since the establishment of the first dolphinarium in Florida, United States, various
countries have followed Marine Studios. However, there is another perspective
about the establishing of the dolphinarium in the world. Many people are dissatisfied
with keeping dolphins in captivity and believing that dolphins should not be used for
entertainment (Hawkins & Gartside, 2008). They believed that marine animals
should be freedom and swimming in the ocean. Therefore, a lot of animal protection
organizations have been established to fight for the rights of animals.
A U.S. federal law “The Marine Mammals Protection Acts (MMPA)” was established
in 1972 to protect marine mammals by prohibiting the "taking" (harassing, hunting,
capturing, or killing) of marine mammals in U.S. waters (Marine Mammal Protection
Act, n.d.). Marine mammals are critical to the balance of ocean ecosystems and are
key indicators of the overall health of the ocean (Britannica, 2013). The MMPA
encourages international cooperation for the protection of marine mammals and the
development of agreements with other nations to address shared concerns.
The affected of the MMPA in Australia in year 1977 was 69% of Australian voters
thought that Australia must stop whaling in project Jonah. Then, the federal
government banned commercial whaling in Australia in 1978 (Senate select
committee on animal welfare, 1985). There are several arguments for keeping
dolphins in captivity and the Gold Coast Sea World has facing the argument of
dolphin captivity until today (Ferrier, 2021).

Pedagogy statement:
This pedagogy statement’s purpose is to provide opportunities for students to
engage with history in a fun way to learn the facts and deeper understand the back
of meaning during the events. This lesson uses conservative and critical pedagogies
for students to learn to respect different perspectives through debates. In this lesson
for using 8 ways such as story learning, Symbols, Images, Community Links, and Land
Links to explore the history, and humanitarian (8 Ways, n.d.)

Since the first dolphin was captured in 1860, this incident has triggered a series of
ethical issues and imbalances in the environmental and ecological balance (Hawkins &
Gartside, 2008). Regarding captive dolphins, people's opinions have gradually formed
a clear contrast in recent years. Gold Coast Sea World advocates that keeping dolphins
in captivity can effectively protect their habitat and avoid the possibility of extinction
(Ciccarelli, 2019). However, for some marine animal protection groups that advocate
respecting animal rights, keeping dolphins in captivity is cruel.

In this activity, students are able to explore different perspectives of “dolphin breeding
at Gold Coast Sea World”. Students have a deeper understanding of dolphin's natural
habitats, behaviors, and the significance of preserving their well-being. With two
different perspectives on keeping dolphins in captivity in dolphinariums, students
were be able to illustrate their own perspectives in using critical pedagogy. As an
educator, I believe that students are encouraged to build their own understanding of
things by enquiring, researching, asking questions, and responding to questions.
Through activities, students deliberated on the balancing of the relationship between
humans and dolphins, and then used their creativity and critical thinking to find
strategies or solutions to solve the problems.

I believe that the role of an educator is to encourage students to engage in critical

thinking with the standard of respect for other perspectives through the activities and
allow students to apply their knowledge and weigh the pros and cons of establishing
dolphinariums. Furthermore, to understand how different cultures perceive and
interact with marine mammals, considering the cultural significance and practices
related to dolphin captivity. This resource is being proposed to provide education with
a useful tool to engage students in relationship learning with science, health, and well-
being while linking to the community where we live.
The pedagogy will conclude by empowering students to form their own opinions,
grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the diverse perspectives surrounding
the establishment of dolphinariums. Emphasizing the importance of respecting
differing opinions while making informed and ethical decisions will be a key takeaway,
fostering a sense of responsibility toward the natural world and the creatures that
inhabit it.

Curriculum Statement:
This proposed publication will be an engaging resource for Year Level 4 students during
a unit of work on "how people, places and environments interact, past and present"
(ACARA, n.d-a.) or an integrated unit on “Sustainability”.

The publication proposed will assist HASS/HSIE educators attend the Australian
Curriculum. It covers content needed for achieving the content description for
AC9HS4S04: Analyse information and data and identify perspectives. (ACARA, n.d-a.)
or Learning Content Outcome.
GE2-3: Examines differing perceptions about the management of places and
environments. (NESA, 2021) GE2-2: Describes the ways people, places and
environments interact (NESA, 2021)

The proposed of this magazine is for students in year 4/stage 2 to explore different
perspectives of the topic “dolphin breeding in dolphinarium” which related to ethic,
economics, and cross-curriculum priorities to sustainability (ACARA, n.d-c.) by the
relationships between human and animals. Students in using their literacy skills and
creative thinking (ACARA, n.d-b.) to prepare their debates draft and practice with
peers to explore different perspectives and respect each other as discussed the issue.

Thank you for listening.