The State Senate passed the Orca Protection Act as part of the Budget Public Resources Trailer Bill on a 26-13 vote last week. The bill, SB 839, completes the effort that Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) initiated more than two years ago.

“The passage of the Orca Protection Act is a significant step forward for animal welfare in the state of California,” Bloom said. “Ending orca breeding and captivity has been a statewide and national effort for many years and has gained widespread support from animal rights activists and the general public.”

In March, Bloom announced the legislation when he joined Seaworld San Diego President John Reilly in announcing that SeaWorld would end its orca breeding program and phase-out its orca shows at all theme parks across the country.

According to a release from his office, killer whales develop close social bonds, utilize cooperative hunting techniques, and many of their life trajectories mimic those found in humans. As the ocean’s top predator, they can be over 30 feet long and weigh over 20,000 pounds, with the ability to travel up to 100 miles a day. Captive orcas, however, are deprived of these experiences and are forced to live within artificially-created pods in tanks that are a fraction of the size of their natural habitat.

The Orca Protection Act codifies the end of captive breeding programs and the export and import of genetic materials for orcas in California. It also prohibits the import and export of new orcas into and out of the state and allows the transfer of orcas currently in California between facilities.