SeaWorld ending ?all orca breeding as of today? putting an end to a practice animal-rights activists said was inhumane.

Embattled theme-park operator SeaWorld announced Thursday that it is ending its controversial captive-breeding program for orcas, meaning the killer whales currently in its care ?will be the last generation of orcas at SeaWorld.?

SeaWorld has come under intense scrutiny over its treatment of captive killer whales since the highly critical 2013 documentary Blackfish, which spotlighted the animals? living conditions and the dangers posed to their handlers.

In October, the California Coastal Commission said SeaWorld would not be permitted to breed the animals while in captivity. The new breeding restrictions ? announced as the commission approved an expansion of SeaWorld San Diego?s killer whale habitat ? made it likely that the orcas currently in captivity would be among the company?s last; Thursday, SeaWorld made it official.

Blackfish, the documentary that inflamed the SeaWorld backlash, focused on the life of Tilikum, a SeaWorld orca that killed one of his trainers and is associated with two other deaths. Last week, SeaWorld Orlando announced that Tilikum is suffering from an illness that may take his life.

Image: MATHIEU BELANGER / REUTERS