On March 17, SeaWorld announced that it will stop all orca shows and end any further breeding. These statements came from CEO Joel Manby after news that the infamous whale who drowned his trainer in 2010, Tilikum, was ill. Due to the negative publicity that the documentary “Blackfish” created surrounding the treatment of the marine life, this is not the first time SeaWorld announced such news. Previously, they released a statement about ending the orca shows in San Diego in 2015 amid tighter regulations in California, but they now want to spread this policy throughout the company.

“I think that it is awesome that SeaWorld has finally stopped breeding or accepting new killer whales. It’s totally unnatural for those huge animals to be raised in practically a bathtub,” sophomore and orca enthusiast Emily Zimmerman said. “It is unnatural and cruel for any animal of that size to be raised in a tiny tank. I’m so happy that people are taking more steps towards the conservation of our oceans.”

The documentary “Blackfish,” released in 2013, exposed the cruel life of captivity for SeaWorld’s orcas, specifically Tilikum. Tilikum was responsible for the death of three trainers, and the documentary illustrates that this violence resulted from his captivity. During his capture and life at Seaworld, he was taken away from his home and was bullied by other captive orcas.

“I am curious to see what SeaWorld will replace the shows with, as orcas are their theme. I do think their decision to not have them reproduce in captivity at the park is great. However, I am not sure on my opinions until they find a replacement,” AP Marine Biology teacher Kristen McKown said.

The responses from the documentary were detrimental in all aspects. Many celebrities, such as the Barenaked Ladies and the Beach Boys, condemned the actions of SeaWorld. Cities and states, including California, made laws against the containment of orcas. Feature films and airliner Southwest severed all links to SeaWorld and the idea of marine parks by eliminating any ads or pictures with such images. In addition to all of the bad publicity, the company listed millions in losses and a 50% drop in their stock prices in 2014.

“I am happy that SeaWorld has decided to make orcas shows no longer a thing in all of their parks. My family and I love the family friendly theme and the animals, so when I heard that the times weren’t good for SeaWorld, I was sad. That was because all of these claims and rumors that the animals weren’t being treated properly are absolutely false. But many people don’t agree with my views so I am interested in how well Seaworld will spring back,” junior Tyler Jaques said.

As observed, the orca shows have hurt SeaWorld’s reputation. With the changes, SeaWorld hopes to improve their image and bring tourists back.