SeaWorld mulls over next step after California bans orca breeding

BUSINESS

SeaWorld mulls over next step after California bans orca breeding

Julie Watson The Associated Press
Published Friday, October 9, 2015 5:21PM EDT

In this Nov. 30, 2006, file photo, a young girl watches through the glass as a killer whale passes by while swimming in a display tank at SeaWorld, in San Diego. SeaWorld says denying orcas' their ability to breed is cruel, but it's unclear whether the corporation will fight such a ban at its California park and risk further hurting attendance. (AP Photo/Chris Park, File)

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SAN DIEGO -- SeaWorld says denying orcas' their ability to breed is cruel, but it's unclear whether the corporation will fight such a ban at its California park and risk further hurting attendance.

Company officials said they were reviewing their options Friday, a day after the California Coastal Commission set the ban as a condition to its approval of a $100 million expansion of the tanks SeaWorld uses to hold killer whales in San Diego.

The panel's decision raised questions, including whether SeaWorld would abandon plans to build bigger tanks or raise a legal challenge to the ban supported by animal rights activists.

Deciding the next step could be tricky. The company is struggling with falling park attendance since the 2013 release of the documentary "Blackfish," which criticizes SeaWorld's treatment of orcas.