In a move to rebuild its brand and combat declining attendance, SeaWorld will phase out its traditional Shamu show in San Diego and instead, a show that features less tricks and more of orcas' natural behaviors in the world will replace it.

The entertainment parks have face a lot of backlash as a result of protests from animal rights groups against the conditions orcas are kept in. Also, visitors have plummeted since the release of 2013 documentary Blackfish, which claimed SeaWorld treatment of its captive orcas provoked violent behavior in the whales leading to deaths of three people.

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Next year will be the theatrical orca performances will come to an end and in 2017, an entirely new orca experience will be shown. The announcement is part of a multi-pronged effort by the Orland-based company to refocus the public's attention on its conservation efforts, while at the same time growing revenues and stabilizing its business.

The new Entertainment CEO Joel Manby, who joined the company in March, was brief on specifics as to what the new shows will cover. He did stress, however, that the planned overhaul was not conceived as a way to appease its critics, reported San Diego Union Tribune.

According to Nbc Sandiego, in addition to transitioning their iconic show, Joel Manby announced a number of new changes aimed at making the parks more cause-based. 

"We'll also design new methods of encountering our animals, not in shows, but in natural environments that will inspire the next generation of our visitors," he said.

The company, which owns 11 theme parks across the U.S., also reported an income of $5.8million from April to the end of June at 7% per share - down from $37.4million for the same period in the previous year.  

To end the backlash, the firm, which has participated in animal rescue programs for over 50 years, announced methods to nearly double the size of its orca enclosures.

The decision comes after a ruling by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) banned the park from breeding any more orcas as part of a deal to expand the mammals' enclosures.

As SeaWorld Entertainment moves toward revamping the iconic Shamu show, it's unclear whether its other two namesake parks, in Orlando and San Antonio, will follow suit. Theme park consultant Dennis Speigel said he believes it's inevitable.

According to Daily Mail, animal rights group PETA was quick to make its views known, airing a number of photographs of the marine creatures, reportedly showing signs of their distress.

SeaWorld also wants to focus more on transforming its theme parks into resort destinations, beginning with a partnership with San Diego-based Evans hotels to develop a SeaWorld-branded hotel on existing land already leased from the city of San Diego by SeaWorld.

The company's planned transition to a much different killer whale show marks yet another milestone in the Shamu stadium performances, which changed significantly following the 2010 death of Dawn Brancheau, a trainer at the Orlando park who was drowned by a 12,000-pound orca during a show. Since then, trainers never went back to the water for the parks' iconic Shamu shows despite a 4-year battle waged by the company to overturn federal citations and fines stemming from Brancheau's death.

TagsSeaworld, Blackfish, whale show, new orca