After a long, bitter meeting, the Vancouver parks board has dealt the Vancouver Aquarium a major boost in its bid to expand.

With detractors in fierce opposition, the board has decided that the public will not be given a chance to vote on the expansion -- or whether it's appropriate to keep large marine mammals in man-made pools.

"What we have is a concept," said aquarium president Dr. John Nightingale. "We have to turn a concept into a proposal."

The aquarium plans to expand by about 30 per cent, converting much of the area that used to house a zoo into new habitat. The board rescinded a long-standing requirement to hold a public plebiscite on expansions.

"We won't have orcas, but we'll have more room for dolphins and belugas," said Nightingale, who said he wasn't sure how the board would vote. "I'm a biologist, not a politician. With animals, you can predict behaviour. With politicians it's a bit more difficult."

The board's decision was condemned by animal-rights groups.

"Rescinding past promises to restrict aquarium expansions is a violation of the democratic process and a major step back to the barbaric dark ages of imprisoning animals," said Peter Hamilton of Lifeforce.

Susan Berta of the Orca Network said the decision excludes a public voice in the decision. "The public needs to have a say in not only the expansion plans of the aquarium in Stanley Park, but on the captivity of whales and large cetaceans," she said.

Janos Mate of Whale Friends also disputed the board's decision: "The issues are the proposed expansion of the aquarium, which will essentially convert public property into private lands, and the cruel practice of keeping whales and dolphins in captivity," he said.

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© The Vancouver Province 2006