SeaWorld to Fight California’s Ban on Killer Whale Breeding Amid Expansion Plans

SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) is ready for a legal battle with the California Coastal Commission. The theme park is looking to build a display tank at its San Diego Theme Park, which was approved by the aforementioned agency, but now with one caveat: the company can’t breed killer whales. ‘As a regulatory board charged with managing coastal development and related land-use decisions, the Coastal Commission went way beyond its jurisdiction and authority when it banned breeding by killer whales at SeaWorld,’ said Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s CEO in a statement. ‘By imposing broad new jurisdiction over all future SeaWorld marine animal projects, as well as aquarium projects elsewhere in the state, the Commission has overstepped both federal and California law,’ Manby added. The company faces a host of criticism from animal rights groups, which were reignited after a 2013 documentary ‘Blackfish’ aired, highlighting a SeaWorld orca that killed three people. ‘Not spending $100 million on a project that has an uncertain return on investment could be viewed as a positive,’ said Michael Erstad, an analyst at ITG, based in New York. Erstad said it remains unclear if SeaWorld will be successful in fighting the decision. TheStreet’s Scott Gamm reports from New York.