Jim Atchinson, 48, will step down as CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment and move into a vice chairman slot at the PR-challenged theme park operator on Jan.15.

jim atchisonChairman Dave D'Allessandro, 62-year-old former CEO of John Hancock Financial Services, will assume the top spot unit once a search for a new CEO is found. The company anticipates a search of six-to-nine months.

Since 2010, SeaWorld has been battling a PR crisis connected to the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau who was killed by orca Tilikum.

The 2013 release of the documentary, "Blackfish," which covered the alleged stresses that killer whales suffer in captivity, compounded SeaWorld's PR woes.

In response to the film, SeaWorld announced a program to enlarge and improve its facilities for orcas, but that plan has gained little support from its animal rights opponents.

The negative publicity has hurt attendance at SeaWorld's 11 theme parks. The number of visitors slipped from 8.9M to 8.4M during the third quarter.That declining visitor count helped send SeaWorld's net crashing 27.8% to $87.2M on a 7.8 percent slide in Q3 revenues to $495.8M.

Atchinson will consult SeaWorld in international expansion and conservation initiatives. He is going to be nominated to chair the independent SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

SeaWorld also appointed William Gray, former co-CEO of Ogilvy North America, and ex-California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher to the board. The Golden State is a hotbed of anti-SeaWorld activity.

The Orlando-based company also announced a restructuring program that will centralize operations and reduce the number of jobs.

Entertainment PR firm 42West helped Sea World respond to the documentary last year.