Coastal Commission Votes To Finally Ban Orca Breeding At SeaWorld

The disputed plan by SeaWorld San Diego to expand its killer whale tanks was approved Thursday by the California Coastal Commission, but only after a commissioner proposed a key amendment: no more breeding of the captive orcas.

This ban is one of the conditions the California Coastal Commission is requiring SeaWorld to comply with in order to get approval for expanded killer whale facilities.

In an announcement, SeaWorld said it was baffled by the conditions appended to the approbation of its “Blue World” extension, set to open in 2018, which would triple the measure of existing executioner whale walled in areas. SeaWorld says they have not captured wild orcas in over 30 years.

Bill Hurly, past president of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums, an global accreditation body, said he expects that SeaWorld will follow through on its threat to challenge the legality of the decision, a move that would be supported by the industry.

The Coastal Commission’s ban will not affect SeaWorld’s orcas in Texas and Florida. They will over time mean the end of the park’s whale programs.

“We care for these animals as if they were our family”, said Hendrik Nollens, the head veterinarian at SeaWorld.

In a reflection of the long-term implications, SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. stock lost $1.13 – 5.91 percent – in early trading today, settling at $17.99 per share.

San Diego’s SeaWorld will no longer be allowed to breed orcas, meaning the 11 whales at the park might be their last.

“PETA is calling on the California Coastal Commission to vote down SeaWorld’s Blue World Project, because what these orcas need is to be released into a seaside sanctuary, not a rebranded prison”.

The plan had drawn objections by a few animal rights advocates, but commission staff had recommended approval.

The whales gnaw the edges of their pools, breaking or wearing teeth, and inbreeding has created “hybrid orcas who have no true social identity”, he said.

Those in favor of the expansion believed that increasing the whales’ habitat is a good thing but many who are against it are influenced by the scientific findings that the whales are suffering in captivity. Orcas remain one of SeaWorld’s biggest draws, despite declining ticket sales.

Officials with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals celebrated the decisions as the ” end captivity for long-suffering orcas in California”.