Christopher Porter was the biggest buyer and seller of dolphins in the world. In the period from 2003 to 2009 he had sold 83 dolphins around the world. In late 2009, he decided to leave the dolphin-export business and become an environmental activist. In March 2010, Porter said that he had decided to release his last 17 dolphins back into the wild.

He is currently the Leader of the Canadian Action Party

Canadian Action Party

The Canadian Action Party is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1997. It promotes Canadian nationalism, monetary and electoral reform, and opposes neoliberal globalization and free trade agreements.- Background :The Canadian Action Party was founded by Paul T...

.

Past work

During the 1990s, Porter worked at Sealand of the Pacific

Sealand of the Pacific

Sealand of the Pacific was a public aquarium in Oak Bay, a suburb near the city of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. It was famous for its orcas, which were the main attraction....

, where he trained Tilikum

Tilikum (orca)

Tilikum , sometimes misspelled Tillikum, is a bull orca who lives in captivity at SeaWorld Orlando. He has sired many offspring, and has been involved in the deaths of three people. Following a year long hiatus after his last incident, Tilikum returned to performing at SeaWorld Orlando on 30 March...

 the killer whale. Later, he worked at the Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.The Vancouver...

 where he was the head trainer. He was a consultant for Italy's National Aquarium, Aquarium of Genoa

Aquarium of Genoa

The Aquarium of Genoa is the largest aquarium in Italy and the second largest in Europe. Located in the old harbor area of Genoa, Italy, the aquarium is a member organization of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria , and welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors each year.-History:The...

, prior to his work in the Solomon Islands. During 2005 he created the world's first open ocean dive program with sea lions in Curaçao

Curaçao

Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...

, Netherlands Antilles.

Dolphin resort and export business

In 2003 Porter established a resort business to be funded by dolphin exports in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 where he leased Gavutu

Gavutu

Gavutu is a small islet in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands, some 500 metres in length. It is one of the Nggela Islands....

 Island, a historical WW2 war base. In 2005, Dave Phillips, executive director of the Earth Institute described Porter's captures of dolphins as 'horrific' and the 'worst instance of capture for dolphin trafficking in the world'. Campaigners in 2005 sought to free dolphins held at the resort run by Porter, describing them as "depressed". Porter's associate replied that the claims were lies and government health inspections had assessed the animals as being free from disease and infection.

Free the Pod

In 2010, Porter started the 'Free the Pod' campaign, aiming to release captive dolphins back into the wild. He has said he was "disillusioned with the industry," due to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in an incident with Tillikum and the documentary The Cove. Dave Phillips and Earth Island institute accepted Porter's invitation to join with him for Free the Pod, which was featured in Animal Planet's Blood Dolphin$ series.