(CNN) The killer whale known as Lolita appears one step closer to returning to its natural habitat of the Pacific Northwest, after performing at a Miami tourist attraction for decades. Whale's tank measures 80 feet by 35 feetAlso at the press conference Thursday was Eduardo Albor, CEO of The Dolphin Company, which operates the Miami Seaquarium; Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava; and members of Friends of Lolita. Activists petitioned NOAA to include Lolita on the Southern Resident endangered list, saying they never had the right to separate it from designation for the Seattle killer whale population