A Japanese theme park has faced a deluge of criticism after reports of an ice skating rink decorated with more than 5,000 frozen dead fish under the ice went viral on social media.

Space World, located in the city of Kitakyushu, purchased the fish – unsuitable for eating – from a local market. The park closed the ice rink-cum-aquarium on 17 November after an online campaign called the attraction “cruel”, “immoral” and “weird”.

“We deeply apologise to people who felt uncomfortable about the Ice Aquarium event,” said a statement from the aquarium. “As a result, we have stopped the event.”

Since the news broke, the attraction has received a high number of calls for the attraction to close, with thousands also leaving negative reviews for the park on its Facebook page.

While public anger is high over the questionable stunt, some members of the public appear to be slightly misguided, with many believing the fish were frozen while still alive, while others compared the rink to the highly controversial Taiji dolphin hunts.

According to Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun, Space World wanted its visitors to “have a sense of sliding on the sea”, with the park touting a ice rink as a world-first attraction.

The park has said it plans to hold a memorial service for the 5,000 dead fish in 2017.