The bill also allows for Sea World to rescue and rehabilitate stranded killer whales, as long as they plan to release them back into the ocean, but the federal government determines whether the whale gets released or not. Violators of the bill would face fines up to a hundred thousand dollars.
Killer whales have been kept in captivity for many years, especially in Sea World. In the wild, Orcas have an average life expectancy of thirty to fifty years, the estimated maximum lifespan is sixty to seventy years for males and eighty to one hundred years for females. But for killer whales in captivity, their average lifespan is thirteen years, much shorter than the average due to the harsh conditions they are kept in.