The Magical Beluga Whale, Capturing wild belugas

The showman P.T. Barnum first placed live beluga whales on display at the Boston Aquarial Gardens and in the American Museum in New York in 1861. In the late 1950s, the beluga capture industry took off. Alaska quickly became the favored place to capture belugas until the 1970s. Canada became the predominant source for belugas destined for exhibition. This continued until 1992, when beluga capture was banned in Canada. When Canada ceased to be the source of these animals, Russia became the largest provider.