24 February 2010
SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau dies during a training session with Tilikum, the largest orca held at SeaWorld Orlando. Brancheau drowns after Tilikum pulls her underwater by her ponytail, in front of horrified visitors.
30 July 2010
Outside Magazine publishes an investigation by reporter Tim Zimmermann into Brancheau’s death. Entitled The Killer in the Pool, the article details the psychological effect of keeping orcas in captivity – and the risk this poses to trainers.
15 July 2011
Zimmermann follows up his investigation with another report, Blood in the Water, describing the circumstances of another orca trainer’s death in 2009, and asking whether Brancheau’s death could have been prevented.
May 2012
Federal agency the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines SeaWorld $12,000 for safety violations and trainers are banned from having close contact with the whales.
July 2012
Death At SeaWorld, a book by journalist David Kirby, further details Brancheau’s death, as well as other violent incidents at marine parks, following the story of marine biologist Naomi Rose, who had warned for years about the dangers of keeping orcas in captivity.
19 January 2013
The documentary Blackfish premieres at the Sundance film festival. Building on the work of Zimmermann, and produced and directed by filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the film is highly critical about the practice of keeping orcas in captivity and takes the story of Brancheau’s death to a wider audience. SeaWorld refuses to take part in the documentary and dismisses it as “inaccurate and misleading”.
December 2013
Blackfish has now been screened by CNN, BBC4 and released on DVD in the UK and US. SeaWorld attendance drops by 5% during the course of the year. Musicians including the Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, REO Speedwagon and Heart cancel performances at SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld continues to dispute the facts of Blackfish, describing protesters as “misinformed”. The company takes out a full-page advert in major US newspapers, taking on criticisms over animal welfare and defending SeaWorld as a place that cares for its whales. Blackfish is not named in the ad.
February 2014
SeaWorld launches a social media campaign, which marks the first time the company directly takes on Blackfish as a critic. It launches a section on its website called “the truth about Blackfish” stating that the film is “propaganda” and listing “69 reasons you shouldn’t believe Blackfish”.
March 2014
SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison speculates that Blackfish had actually increased interest in marine parks, after the company reports record revenues for 2013.
April 2014
SeaWorld announces visitor numbers at SeaWorld have dropped by 13%.
May 2014
Following falling attendance in its parks across the US, SeaWorld announces plans to expand into the Middle East, where attitudes towards marine parks remain less hostile. SeaWorld had previously considered this in 2008, when it briefly considered the idea of opening a park in Dubai but shelved the plans due to the financial crash.
June 2014
An amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Act is unanimously passed, calling for the United States Department of Agriculture to update its policy on cetacean captivity.
July 2014
Southwest Airlines – following pressure from animal rights activists and a petition with over 32,000 signatures – ends a 25-year marketing relationship with SeaWorld and repaints planes that feature SeaWorld animals on its livery.
August 2014
The “Blackfish effect” begins to take hold on SeaWorld. The park announces attendance has dropped a further 1%-2%, while shares have fallen by 33%. Having downplayed the impact of the film, the company admits that it is having an effect on business. SeaWorld announces it plans to build a new, state of the art orca environment named the Blue World Project.
September 2014
Investors launch a lawsuit against SeaWorld, claiming the company misled them about the impact the film had on attendance of its parks.
November 2014
SeaWorld suffers financially as public opposition increases. Attendance drops by over 5% and profits fall by 28%.
December 2014
SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison announces he is standing down. In the period since Blackfish premiered, the company’s shares have fallen by 51%. Journalist Melissa Cronin, who writes for animal rights website the Dodo, comments on the phenomenal news cycle of the story: “No animal story has been more consistently covered by mainstream media this year than the dizzying decline of SeaWorld.”
July 2015
One Direction singer Harry Styles amplifies the anti-SeaWorld campaign during a concert in San Diego. “Does anybody like dolphins?” he asked the audience. After they screamed “Yes” back at him, he replied: “Don’t go to SeaWorld.” Analysis of social media showed this single event caused the highest spike in negative commentary about SeaWorld online since Blackfish was first shown. The same month SeaWorld is accused by PETA of sending a staff member undercover to infiltrate the animal rights charity, accusing the company of running a “corporate espionage campaign”. SeaWorld suspends the employee.
August 2015
SeaWorld reports an 84% drop in earnings in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the previous year, along with a 2% drop in visitors.
6 November 2015
Congressman Adam Schiff says he will introduce legislation that will force SeaWorld to end the captivity of orcas. The Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (Orca) Act will phase out captive orcas in the US within 50 years.
9 November 2015
SeaWorld announces it will end theatrical orca shows at its theme park in San Diego next year, as part of a major overhaul of the company, but not at its theme parks in Orlando or San Antonio. Chief executive Joel Manby, said the company “is listening to our guests, evolving as a company …” and that the new orca environment will be launched in 2017. Manby also said that revenues are still falling and that the company expects a $10m hit to its profits this year. Schiff welcomed the news, but stated that “much more needs to be done”. He called on SeaWorld to end its orca breeding program and work to create ocean sanctuaries. The SeaWorld announcement marks a major concession at one of its flagship parks.
