 Belugas were the first whales to be kept in captivity . Other species were too rare , too shy , or too big . The first beluga was shown at Barnum 's Museum in New York City in 1861 . For most of the 20th century , Canada was the predominant source of wild belugas . They were taken from the St. Lawrence River estuary until the late 1960s , after which they were predominantly taken from the Churchill River estuary until capture was banned in 1992 . Russia has become the largest provider since it had been banned in Canada . Belugas are caught in the Amur River delta and their eastern coast , and then are either transported domestically to aquariums or dolphinariums in Moscow , St. Petersburg , and Sochi , or exported to other countries , such as Canada . Most captive belugas are caught in the wild , since captive @-@ breeding programs are not very successful . 
