After more than a year of public criticism of its treatment of killer whales, SeaWorld says it will build larger environments at its theme parks and will fund additional research on the animals.
The Florida company said on Friday that the renovations had been in the works for some time and that they are not a response to the film Blackfish or the criticism of the company that followed its release.
The company's shares, which are trading near their lowest point since SeaWorld listed its stock on public markets last year, rose slightly on the news.
But it remains to be seen if the renovations will fully address concerns about keeping large marine mammals in captivity.
The 2013 documentary Blackfish suggested that captivity and SeaWorld's treatment of the whales provokes violent behaviour, which in turn led to the death of trainers.
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Since the release of the film, a series of entertainers have pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld parks.
SeaWorld also recently said its longtime corporate partnership with Southwest Airlines was ending, and on Wednesday the company reported disappointing second-quarter financial results because of the backlash.
SeaWorld Entertainment Inc says it will build a tank with 138,000 litres of water at its San Diego park, almost twice the size of the current tank, which will include features that will be more stimulating for the whales.
The facility will open to the public in 2018, and after that, SeaWorld said, it will make similar changes at its Orlando, and San Antonio locations.
The company said the cost of the project will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars but would not specify the exact budget.
The company is also pledging $US10 million ($A10.8 million) in matching funds to support research focused on threats to killer whales, or orcas, in the wild.
