SACRAMENTO, Calif. — SeaQuest CEO Vince Covino is no longer leading the interactive aquarium company as of Wednesday morning. He made the announcement in a short video to employees.
The video message, which was sent by sources to ABC10, shows Covino telling employees the new company he’s going to work for scheduled time for him to speak with employees around 11 a.m. – the same time he was expected to speak with general managers and directors of each department at SeaQuest.
Covino identified the new CEO of SeaQuest as Aaron and sources told ABC10 the person he’s referring to is Aaron Neilsen, the CFO of SeaQuest. Sources provided Neilsen’s LinkedIn profile to ABC10 showing he joined SeaQuest in December 2021 and had accounting experience prior.
The company Covino is going to work for was not identified by name but he says it revolves around, “leadership and relationship development and communication and enlightenment and purpose and vision and all those things I care so deeply about.”
Covino says he asked Neilsen to allow those who’ve participated in SeaQuest’s “leadership program” to enroll in his new company for free.
Covino’s departure comes amid a call by California Assemblymember Josh Hoover for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to investigate SeaQuest Folsom after an ABC10 investigation containing nearly two dozen former employees.
While the SeaQuest in Folsom is the only location in California, the company has locations across the United States. Locations in Connecticut and Colorado recently closed following citations and complaints.
ABC10 reached out to SeaQuest for comment on Covino’s resignation. We have yet to hear back.
In response to this news, Laura Hagen, the Director of Captive Wildlife for the Humane Society of the United States said she hopes this "marks the beginning of the end of this deplorable, cruel business that abuses animals day after day in seven states."
"SeaQuest needs to do far more than replace its current CEO to improve conditions for the many animals exploited at its pathetic indoor exotic animal petting zoos," Hagen said in a statement, in-part, and that Covino stepping down "must be the first step in dismantling this horrific business that inflicts so much suffering on animals."
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Over a dozen former SeaQuest Folsom employees come forward after ABC10 investigation
