RACHEL PINDER The strong public opinion that Marineland's dolphins should be replaced may, ironically, speed up the demise of the iconic marine venue. That's the view of former Marineland assistant superintendent, Robin Stewart, who was at the public meeting held at the Century Theatre on Saturday. He thought it was apparentthat councillor Harry Lawson, who initiated and chaired the meeting, was not interested in listening to anyone who had concerns about acquiring more dolphins. "This was disappointing, particularly as the meeting was called to give residents a chance to voice their concerns and opinions and to find out just what the public thinks. "Mr Lawson's attitude was all the more puzzling when it was clear from the outset that the vast majority of people there supported a move to obtain more dolphins. "Consequently, there should have been no problems in letting those with other ideas speak. "Instead, the only speakers kept to the one minute time limit imposed were those who did not totally agree with Mr Lawson. "I believe that pinning the future on Marineland to be able to replace the dolphins could spell the end for the Marine Parade attraction," he said. Mr Stewart also wondered what would happen if the Government refused to lift the ban on catching or importing dolphins. He said if there is no alternative plan in place, it could spell the end for Marineland. "I believe Mr Lawson failed to recognise that all who spoke at the meeting were, in fact, supportive of Marineland and its future. "But because they expressed doubts about keeping dolphins they were labelled as creatures that crawl out from under rocks and anything they had to say was summarily dismissed. "One possible way for Marineland to go would be to combine living exhibits based around a viable, naturally housed New Zealand fur seal colony, with high-tech virtual displays and hands-on exhibits. "Surely such a possibility is worth looking at?"
