Moby Doll's impact in scientific research

Moby Doll, who in 1964 in British Columbia became the second ever captive orca, was the first orca (killer whale) to be studied scientifically at close quarters alive.

Ken Balcomb, the founder of the Center for Whale Research, became one of the main researchers on Moby Doll's population, the southern resident orcas. He recalled that at the time of Moby Doll's captivity, "Whale research was done postmortem." It was "the shoot-and-dissect school of biology." The Marine Mammal Biological Laboratory in Seattle was hunting and killing orcas for its research. Moby Doll began the transformation of the species' image, followed by the next few captive orcas. They initiated "an immense amount of science," Balcomb reflected.