MOSCOW, April 9 (RAPSI) - California lawmakers tabled a bill on Tuesday that would have compelled theme park Sea World to set its orca whales free, advocacy group Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) announced.

The bill aims to prohibit the use or confinement of orca whales for performance of entertainment purposes. The bill would further ban the artificial insemination of captive orca whales in California and prohibit the import of orca semen from other states, according to advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee Chairman Anthony Rendon decided that 30 minutes would be inadequate to address the issues raised by the bill, and recommended that it be referred for an interim review to be completed by mid-2015.

“By recommending this interim review process by the Committee, Chair Rendon made it very clear that the bill is important enough to seriously consider and to direct the assembly to invest the time to conduct the due diligence necessary to address implementation and other concerns associated with the bill,” read a statement issued by WDC.

PETA encouraged SeaWorld San Diego – a popular California theme park whose whale show draws enormous crowds – to use the interim period to devise plans to release its team of orca whales into ocean sanctuaries.

“The writing is on the wall. The public has learned how orcas suffer psychologically, die prematurely, and lash out in frustration and aggression in SeaWorld’s prisons, and consumers have responded with lower attendance levels, public protests, and legislation,” PETA said in a statement Tuesday.

The SeaWorld website describes the orca whale as the “top predator of the ocean.” Skilled hunters, these sea giants primarily live on fish, squid, seabirds, and marine mammals. They have, however, been known to target humans in certain instances.

SeaWorld hosts various orca whale shows. One Ocean, a show currently being advertised on its website, is advertised in the following lofty terms: “Dancing fountains set the stage as you connect with thrilling sea creatures and realize we are all part of one world, one ocean.”

2013 documentary Blackfish, which centered on an orca named Tilikum who has claimed several human lives while in theme-park captivity, has spurred a major backlash against SeaWorld for its alleged mistreatment of orca whales. The Daily Mail reported that the California bill came as a result of the documentary.

PETA campaign Sea World of Hurt featured comments from various celebrities in response to Blackfish. Popular singer Josh Groban said, “What amusement parks are doing to our orcas and dolphins is immoral.” Actor Russell Brand said, “Do watch ‘Blackfish.’ Don’t go to SeaWorld, a stain upon humanity posing as entertainment.”

Biting back at recent criticism, SeaWorld issued a letter claiming that inaccurate reports had recently given rise to baseless scandal. Speaking in its own defense, SeaWorld claimed in the letter that it does not capture its orcas in the wild, does not separate baby orcas from their mothers, and that its whales lifespans rival those of their non-captive counterparts.