自1860年代起，人們便一直在飼養鯨豚類。世界上首個经营性鯨豚水族館为美国佛罗里达海洋世界（英语：Marineland of Florida），開設於1938年。直到1960年代，鯨豚類表演的受欢迎程度还在迅速上升[2]。1970年代以来，人们对動物福利的日益关注促成了更加严格的监管，这最终导致一些国家关闭了部分場館。尽管存在这种趋势，但欧洲、北美和日本目前仍有許多鯨豚水族館。
Johnson, William. (1994). The Rose-tinted Menagerie. London: Heretic Books Ltd. ISBN978-0-946097-28-9. “Following P.T. Barnum's ill-fated display of white whales in his New York Museum in 1860, it was not until 1913 that cetaceans were again seen in captivity, this time when C. H. Townsend, curator of the New York Aquarium, stumbled upon the idea exhibiting dolphins as an unbeatable novelty to attract the crowds.【中譯：自1860年巴納姆在他的紐約博物館（英语：Barnum's American Museum）以悲劇式的結尾展出了兩頭白鲸後，直到1913年，鯨類動物才再次被人工豢養，這一次是紐約水族館（英语：New York Aquarium）館長湯森（英语：Charles Haskins Townsend）偶然間的想法，將海豚展出作為一件無與倫比的新奇事物來吸引群眾。】”“During feeding time at Marine Studios, it is said, dolphins gradually fell into the habit of jumping up to catch the fish that were thrown to them, and this miniature spectacle always amused the public, the keepers and curator. Then a year later in 1939, Cecil M. Walker, then responsible for maintenance of the water purification pumps on the night-shift, observed one evening how a dolphin pushed a pelican feather across the surface of the water towards him. "Just for the hell of it" he took the proffered feather and threw it back into the water, whereupon, to his great surprise, the dolphin brought it back again. The game continued with Walker experimenting with a ball, an inner tube of a bicycle, small stones and other objects. As the game took shape with other dolphins joining in the act, it began to resemble the repertoire seen today in every dolphinarium in the world.【中譯：據說，海豚在被飼養於海洋館期間，逐漸養成了跳起來接獲所投喂之魚的習慣，並且這種微景觀總是讓大眾、飼養員和館長感到有趣。一年後的1939年，當時負責上夜班維護淨水泵的塞西爾·沃克，在一天晚上觀察到一隻海豚如何將一根鹈鹕羽毛從水面推向他，“只是為了好玩”的他拿起那根羽毛扔回水中，令他大吃一驚的是，海豚又將羽毛帶了回來。遊戲繼續進行，沃克用一個球、一個自行車內胎以及小石塊等物體進行了試驗。随着其他海豚的加入，遊戲逐渐成形，開始像今天世界上每個海豚館里的節目一樣。】”
Johnson (1994). “In the golden heyday of the industry, there were at least 36 assorted dolphinaria or itinerant dolphin shows in the UK.【中譯：在海豚表演業的黃金鼎盛時期，各式各樣經營海豚表演的場館或巡迴演出團體在英國至少有36個。】”
