The California Coastal Commission banned captive orca breeding at SeaWorld Entertainment’s (NYSE:SEAS) park in San Diego.
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The company said it was disappointed by conditions attached to the approval of its Blue World expansion, set to open in 2018, which would triple the size of killer whale enclosures.
SeaWorld has drawn up plans for two orca pools, one containing 5.2 million gallons (19.7 million liters) of water and another with 450,000 gallons (1.7 million liters).
The commission’s report in favor of the expansion mentions a pledge by SeaWorld that the facility “will not house any killer whales taken from the wild after February 12, 2014”.
SeaWorld says denying orcas’ their ability to breed is cruel, but it was unclear Friday whether the corporation will fight such a ban at its California park and risk further hurting attendance.
SeaWorld has come under intense scrutiny since the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which demonstrated the conditions orcas live under in the park.
SeaWorld argued the expansion will enhance the habitat for the whales and expand research opportunities.
“SeaWorld is nothing but a marine circus and the orcas are their elephants”, he said.
SeaWorld executives had agreed before the commission meeting not to increase the park’s orca population, except through occasional captive births or rescues authorized by government agencies.
John Hargrove, a former SeaWorld trainer in California and Texas who has written a book about his experiences and appeared in the “Blackfish” film, said whales are heavily medicated and family structures that define life in the wild are broken.
In the days leading up to the vote, the California Coastal Commission received 250,000 responses from the public on the issue – many of them opposed to expansion. It could also mean a huge surge in support for the company, as they would finally be allowed to fulfill a promise that they made.
But SeaWorld veterinarian Hendrik Nollens disputed what he called “outlandish accusations” from critics of the park.
SeaWorld San Diego is now home to 11 orcas, the star attractions of the facility.
Opponents said the larger tanks are still a harmful environment for whales.
There are an estimated 56 orcas in captivity worldwide, with 24 of them owned by SeaWorld across each of its San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando parks. “It is cruelty pure and simple to keep large, intelligent, complex and social sea mammals in tiny tanks and force them to entertain consumers whose dollars would be better spent on conservation of orcas in the wild”.
Despite that concession, animal rights advocates say that even captive-born orcas should not be kept in tanks. “We have nothing but the whales’ best interests at heart”.
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“[Orcas] don’t belong in captivity”, said Commissioner Bochco.
