SeaWorld Is Building Bigger Whale Tanks

SeaWorld announced it will build new, larger habitats for its Orca whales.

The announcement comes after the company on Wednesday saw its shares fall more than 30% as it faces continuing declines in attendance in the wake of the controversial "Blackfish" documentary.

The company said the first new tank would be built at its San Diego park, and will have a water volume of 10 million gallons and will have a surface area of nearly 1.5 acres.

The Wall Street Journal's Tom Gara reported that the upgrades would cost "several hundred millions dollars."

SeaWorld also announced that it will donate $10 million in matching funds for killer whale research.

SeaWorld is also engaging an independent advisory panel, "to bring new perspectives and ideas to the project."

"Like so many others in science and industry, we are constantly learning more about how we can evolve our knowledge and continue to learn more about these amazing animals and stewardship of those in the wild," SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison said.

You can read SeaWorld's full release here.