Just popping back in to point out a few things here and there that I think are important and/or I just want to mention.
1. I know that it's pretty much plastered everywhere about J-2 Granny being about 105 years old, but it's most likely false. As I stated before, my bookmarks are a complete mess so unfortunately I don't have the paper on hand, but the 100+ y/o estimate is based on a few factors that didn't turn out to be true; for example, researchers originally thought that (deceased) J-1 Ruffles was Granny's son - though after they managed to collect samples and run tests, it turned out they were not mother and son. Granny is most likely in her 80's, but that is still very, very old.
There are also some other post-reproductive females that are believed to be around the same age, including Lolita/Tokitae's presumed mother, L-25 Ocean Sun, who is estimated to be in her late 80's, and has outlived all of her immediate family (besides Tokitae). We probably would have more accurate guesses regarding their ages today if there was not such a huge generational gap due to wild captures in the 60's and 70's. If marine parks had not taken (and consequentially killed) so many Southern Residents, researchers could likely be able to sample many more whales and, in turn, would have been able to create more complete family trees.
(Just remember: When it comes to age, it's best to remember that the oldest whales are [usually] the exception, not the rule.)
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2. I don't think that we will ever be able to create tanks that are large or naturalistic enough to even compare to the ocean in the slightest. Using the SR's for example (again), they tend to stay in the Salish Sea/Puget Sound pretty much year round; but they still swim vast distances every day and in the winter, they've been sighted as far north as southeastern Alaska all the way down to southern California. There is the argument that they only swim those distances for food, but that's one of the things that keeps them active and engaged. In captivity, the whales are just tossed dead fish and then given plastic balls and jello for enrichment, which are either eaten or taken away after some time.
If you were going to create an environment large enough for these whales, it would have to be quite a few square miles in size and it would have to have rocks, kelp, maybe some water jets to simulate ocean currents, etc. And the construction of that kind of facility combined with the upkeep would be astronomical - not to mention many people would likely not visit because the whales would have the option to stay out of sight of visitors and on certain days, might not be able to be seen at all. I just personally do not think that cetaceans are an animal that will ever be able to be successfully held in captivity as they are too wide-ranging.
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3. The Blue World Project was entirely possible. The only real reason SeaWorld backed out of it at all was because the California Coastal Commission (CCC) would only allow them to proceed if SW agreed to cease breeding of their whales.
However, there were quite a few things that were wrong with the whole project. First off, SeaWorld announced the BWP long before they even tried to apply for permits, which makes it look like more of a PR move rather than an actual attempt to create a more suitable environment. Second, almost every SW whale has had it listed in their profile that they find construction noise aversive, meaning that they get aggravated and easily upset with the loud noises, which ends up putting trainers in danger. And lastly, the breeding ban put in place by the CCC would only have affected the California park, which is where most of their viable breeding whales are located. BWP construction could have easily moved forward at both the Florida and Texas parks. It could also have moved forward at the California park if SW had agreed to the special terms laid out by the CCC, and it seems especially disappointing now after having SeaWorld announce the end of their Orca 'breeding program'.
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4. Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that the 50/50 mortality rate among wild calves only applies to the Southern Residents. Other populations either have completely different mortality rates or they have not been studied well enough to come up with an accurate percentage. And the mortality rate is largely due to the high number of toxins and noise pollution that the SR's have to endure on a regular basis.
