California Assemblyman Richard Bloom of Santa Monica is backing legislation that would ban killer whales, otherwise known as orcas, at theme parks.

The Orca Welfare and Safety Act, which Bloom said he planned to introduce on the Assembly floor today, would make it illegal to "hold in captivity, or use, a wild-caught or captive-bred orca for performance or entertainment purposes," a statement said.

Bloom, a Democrat, explained he was inspired to launch the proposed ban after seeing the documentary film Blackfish, which was released in 2012 and recounts the story of a SeaWorld trainer who died in 2010 when she was pulled underwater by a killer whale.

The film argues that theme park orcas suffer from boredom and stress. It also questions the way SeaWorld treats the animals.

"These beautiful creatures are much too large and too intelligent to be confined in small, concrete pens for their entire lives," Bloom continued in the statement. "It is time to end the practice of keeping orcas captive for human amusement."

If approved, Bloom's bill would make it illegal to keep a killer whale in captivity for performance or entertainment purposes. It would also require SeaWorld to rehabilitate and release its killer whales back into the ocean, if possible.

Those who violate the law would face fines amounting to $100 thousand dollars, as well as six months in jail.

SeaWorld in San Diego, the only theme park in California that keeps captive orcas, reportedly has 10 of the whales in its tanks, according to a report by KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.

SeaWorld is expected to fight the proposed legislation vigorously.

In a statement to Variety last July, SeaWorld officials contended Blackfish is "billed as a documentary, but instead of a fair and balanced treatment of a complex subject, the film is inaccurate and misleading and, regrettably, exploits a tragedy that remains a source of deep pain for [trainer] Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues."

In order to forward the argument that killer whales should not be maintained in a zoological setting, the SeaWorld statement said, "the film paints a distorted picture that withholds from viewers key facts about SeaWorld -- among them, that SeaWorld is one of the world's most respected zoological institutions, that SeaWorld rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild hundreds of wild animals every year, and that SeaWorld commits millions of dollars annually to conservation and scientific research."

The film, the SeaWorld statement asserted, "fails to mention SeaWorld's commitment to the safety of its team members and guests and to the care and welfare of its animals, as demonstrated by the company's continual refinement and improvement to its killer whale facilities, equipment and procedures both before and after the death of Dawn Brancheau."