Beluga whales rescued to Iceland 'sea sanctuary' have spent years in small indoor pools, campaigners say
Little Grey and Little White were flown from China and celebrated as the world's first open-water beluga sanctuary in 2019; critics say they have spent just 71 days in the bay and remain in a quarantine pool while organisers cite health,…
Two beluga whales that were transported from a Chinese aquarium to an open-water sanctuary in Iceland six years ago remain confined to a landside care pool for long periods, campaigners and social media followers say, prompting renewed scrutiny of the much‑publicised rescue project.
Little Grey and Little White were moved more than 6,000 miles in 2019 after a UK-based charity, Sea Life Trust, and leisure firm Merlin Entertainments helped fund and organise their relocation to a purpose-built sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay on Iceland’s south coast. The mission was chronicled in an ITV programme, John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue, which introduced the pair to large television audiences and set expectations that the animals would live in an open-water bay rather than perform in tanks.
Sanctuary annual updates and campaigners say the whales have been in the sanctuary’s open-water pen for just 71 days since they were allowed their first sea swim in August 2020, and have spent extended periods in a landside quarantine pool that campaigners describe as only marginally larger than a domestic swimming pool. The pair are currently in an indoor pool reported by the project to measure 15 metres by 20 metres and have no access to outside light; the sanctuary’s open-water pen covers almost 32,000 square metres and is up to 10 metres deep.
Sea Life Trust and Merlin Entertainments said the welfare of Little Grey and Little White has driven every decision since the project began. Graham McGrath, managing director at Sea Life Trust, rejected suggestions that the sanctuary is failing or that the project has commercial motives. McGrath said the sanctuary is a standalone charity and that the whales have “previously been out in the bay, experiencing an environment far closer to their natural home than ever before.” He cited severe weather, the global impact of COVID, construction challenges and temporary health issues as factors that have complicated the pioneering project.
Rob Hicks, vice president for global conservation, welfare and education at Merlin Entertainments, said the Sea Life Trust Beluga Whale Sanctuary is an independent, not-for-profit charity and that Merlin continues to support the project. Hicks said the whales’ current placement in the landside care facility reflects what is “best for them at this stage of their journey” and that the organisations remain committed to a gradual acclimatisation to the bay, aiming for a move to the sanctuary care pools in spring 2026.
Critics, including campaigners and some supporters who followed the televised rescue, said the project fell short of the promise that the whales would be free of display conditions. Brian Monteith, a former MEP and adviser to campaign group PETA Watch, said the project had become “John Bishop’s Great Whale Scandal,” arguing that the plan left the belugas in worse conditions than before their move. Social media comments cited by news outlets include followers expressing disappointment and sadness that the whales have not spent more time in the bay.
The sanctuary’s own public updates have acknowledged difficulties in transitioning the whales to open-water life. A July 31 update said an “Intermediate Halo Habitat” was installed to help the whales adapt and that the team had been working with engineering experts to modify the structure. The statement said adaptations were being made to enable treatment of the animals in the bay to reduce the need to return them to the landside care facility, and that a decision had been taken to pause the whales’ return to the sanctuary until spring 2026 while those changes are completed.
Sea Life Trust has described Little Grey as playful and mischievous and Little White as more reserved but bond‑oriented. The two females were captured from the wild as juveniles and spent years performing at Ocean World in Shanghai before being identified for relocation. Merlin Entertainments acquired Changfeng Ocean World in 2012 and provided a “substantial donation” to the Sea Life Trust to support the operation, the charity has said.
The rescue was logistically complex: the whales were moved in specially designed slings and foam matting and transported by road, air and sea. The animals’ first return to the bay in August 2020 marked their first time back in the sea since being taken to a Russian research centre in 2011, according to the charity.
The debate over the sanctuary comes amid broader scrutiny of facilities that hold cetaceans for display. U.S. marine parks such as SeaWorld have faced public criticism and legal pressure in recent years over the welfare of performing whales and dolphins. Merlin has said it believes cetaceans should not be kept in captivity for “frivolous entertainment” and described its support for the Sea Life Trust project as consistent with that view.
Beluga whales are often described as a bellwether species for marine environments; they produce a range of high-pitched vocalisations and are adapted to life in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. The species was listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2008, and worldwide populations are distributed across northern Asia, North America and Greenland.
Visitors to the Beluga Whale Sanctuary are charged for tours, with public pricing listed at a minimum of £16 for admission and higher fees for guided visits and closer access, a point critics cite when questioning whether the project is operating as a sanctuary rather than an attraction. Sea Life Trust and Merlin say visitor income helps underwrite the costs of care and the complex engineering required for a world‑first open-water facility.
Since its broadcast, John Bishop’s ITV programme has continued to attract attention from well-wishers and critics alike. The sanctuary said it would continue to prioritize animal welfare and to adapt the site as engineers and animal-care teams learn more about transitioning formerly captive belugas to a bay environment. Campaigners and members of the public who remain concerned about the whales’ long-term conditions say they will continue to press for transparency and independent oversight as the project proceeds toward the planned 2026 return to the bay.