In the crusade against SeaWorld, a risky concession turned into a major win for activists with a dramatic vote and ruling by the California Coastal Commission.
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The condition was among several set by the commission that regulates land and water use along the California coast, including that no new whales from the wild will be kept in the new tanks.
Commissioner Dayna Bochco, who made the amendment to halt breeding and transfers from the park, said captivity is harmful to the whales.
Park officials have declined to say how much of the company’s revenues are generated by the SeaWorld marine parks.
SeaWorld would not make executives available for an interview.
“A lot would need to happen for SeaWorld’s business to be over”, said James Hardiman of Wedbush Securities. The park has not collected whales from the wild in over 35 years, according to officials within the organization. “I often look out at the lovely ocean and wish the whales confined at SeaWorld had freedom, as nature intended”, she said.
SeaWorld draws saltwater from Mission Bay for its killer whale pools.
“It’s cool to see them, but it’s not the right thing to do”, said 10-year-old Zoey Lambe-Hommel. SeaWorld said it was considering its options.
Essentially, this means that the 11 remaining orcas in the California park will get somewhat better living conditions and will be the last orcas held in the park.
The company said then it would expand the orca habitat in San Diego, then in Orlando and San Antonio as well.
Other conditions proposed by the commission staff call for SeaWorld to reduce the effects of noise, traffic and runoff caused by the project.
” … SeaWorld is a sea circus, and the orcas are its abused elephants”.
Joel Manby said in the statement. With a state political climate that’s more favorable to the tourism industry, the company would probably face less resistance.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) praised the ruling, saying this would effectively end the orca whale exhibit. PETA had launched a campaign against the expansion in California and hailed Thursday’s decision as a victory.
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SeaWorld, despite its criticism, still maintains a state of the art whale housing and training facility, employing a few of the world’s finest researchers, veterinarians, and trainers.
