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Residents urge Woodbridge to act on SeaQuest animal-welfare complaints; council says enforcement rests with state
Summary
Residents urged the Woodbridge Township Council to take action after alleging animal deaths, bite incidents and regulatory violations at SeaQuest in the Woodbridge Center Mall; township counsel said municipal authority is limited and complaints must be handled by state or federal agencies.
Jessica Mayer Vivenetto, an Avenel resident, told the Woodbridge Township Council that SeaQuest at the Woodbridge Center Mall should not be treated as merely a food-permits issue and that the township had signed off on permits for the attraction. She said the facility in Fort Worth, Texas, abruptly closed after reports of possible animal cruelty and that multiple SeaQuest locations have closed in recent years.
Other residents at the Nov. 12 meeting gave detailed allegations about animal deaths and unsafe handling at SeaQuest. Carrie Spuga said activists have gathered thousands of petition signatures and, citing former employees, alleged “100 animals died at the Woodbridge location” and described marine animals arriving dead at other SeaQuest sites. She also referenced state statutes she believes the business is violating and asked whether the council would involve police or pass a resolution.
Township counsel responded that the township’s permit process is limited in scope: the municipal permit verifies whether the premises where animals are kept are suitable, but enforcement of animal-health and cosmetology-related rules (including the types of interactions described by speakers) is carried out by state and federal agencies. The counsel stated the township’s records show state and federal inspections “say they’re okay” and that the township’s practical authority is to redirect complaints to the appropriate state agency rather than to initiate enforcement itself.
Council President Anderson said the council is listening to residents and has reviewed many emails and calls about the facility. He said members have discussed visiting the site to see the operation for themselves, but repeated that enforcement of the specific statutes cited rests with higher-level agencies. Residents asked the council for a face-to-face meeting; multiple speakers said they had requested meetings and had received national attention and outreach from congressional staff.
The meeting ended without the council taking formal enforcement action at the meeting. Council members instructed residents on the process for filing complaints with the health department and state agencies and said the township would continue to receive information and refer it to the appropriate authorities.
