Sea World is known for it's entertaining, and interactive shows with wild animals. The film,Blackfish exposedthe mistreatment and the the detrimental health effects on the Whales at the park.

It is said that Orcas have an average life expectancy of 50-60 years for males, and 80-90 years for Females. In captivity, the difference is drastic. Instead of living a long, fulfilled life, they live to be 20 years of age or less. In the wild Orcas often suffer from a bent dorsal fin as a result of age, stress, or conflict with other whales. In captivity it is caused from time spent at the surface of the water, swimming the same direction in the pools, and dehydration due to the warm temperature of the water. This causes the tissue in their dorsal fin to become weak and fall over. Since the Whales are restricted to a small space, when there are altercations between whales there is no safe getaway for them.

The Director ofBlackfish, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, described her observations about captivity;

“All these folks taught me that there is tremendous social strife in these small tanks and that the animals fight all the time. In the wild, killer whales vie for dominance but the subdominant animal then flees the scene and the conflict subsides. In captivity no one gets to flee. They just keep fighting.”

Former Trainer, Bridgett Pirtle described the sizes of the tanks in comparison to the sizes of the Whales. She stated how the minimum depth requirement for the tanks is 12 feet while most of the Orcas at Sea World are anywhere from 18-20 plus feet.

It is up to us to attain Sea World’s attention and find a solution. We have begun to make progress in the eyes of the people. Since Blackfish has been circulating, Sea World has become more scrutinized and the decrease of ticket sales reflects this.

Unfortunately there is no alternatives feasible for the current Orcas in captivity, however there is hope for those who have yet to be captured. For any accommodationsto be made, Sea World would have to put forward large sums of money which they are not willing to do. What we can do is prevent any more Orcas from being put into captivity.

We need to contact National Marine Fisheries Service to better regulate Whale safety.