Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing
whales and other
cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation (cf.
bird watching) but the activity can also be for scientific or educational reasons. Whilst individuals do organize private trips, whale watching is primarily a commercial activity, estimated to be worth up to $1billion per annum worldwide to whale watching operations and their local communities. The size and rapid growth of the whale watching industry has led to complex and unconcluded debates with the
whaling industry about the best use of whales as a
natural resource.
Whale watching as an organized activity dates back to 1950 when the
Cabrillo National Monument in
San Diego was declared a public spot for the observation of
Gray Whales. In
1955 the first water-based whale watching commenced in the same area, charging customers $1 per trip to view the whales at closer quarters. The spectacle proved popular, attracting 10,000 visitors in its first year and many more in subsequent years. The industry spread throughout the western coast of the
United States over the following decade.
In 1971 the Montreal Zoological Society commenced the first commercial whale watching activity on the eastern side of North America, offering trips in the
St. Lawrence River to view
Fin and
Beluga Whales.
In the late 1970s the industry mushroomed in size thanks to operations in
New England. By 1985 more visitors watched whales from New England than California. The rapid growth in this area has been attributed to the relatively dense population of
Humpback Whales, whose acrobatic behaviour such as breaching (jumping out of the water) and tail-slapping was an obvious crowd-pleaser, and the close proximity of whale populations to the large cities on the east coast of the US.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s whale watching spread throughout the world. In 1998 Erich Hoyt carried out the largest systematic study of whale watching yet undertaken and concluded that whale watching trips were now available in 87 countries around the world, with over 9 million participants generating an income to whale watcher operators and supporting infrastructure (such as accommodation, restaurants and souvenirs) of over one billion dollars. His estimate for 2000 was for 11.3m participants spending $1.475bn, representing a five-fold increase over the decade.
Whale watching is of particular importance to developing countries as coastal communities start to profit directly from the whales' presence, significantly adding to popular support for the full protection of these animals from any resumption of commercial whaling.
Whale watching today is carried out from the water from crafts from kayaks, motorized rafts, and sailboats through to out-of-use fish or whaling boats and custom-built craft carrying as many as 400 people. Land-based watching of species such as the
Orca who come very close to shore remains popular. Viewing of species that usually stay some distance from the shore is also offered by fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters in some areas.
Environmental campaigners, concerned by what they consider the "quick-buck" mentality of some boat owners, continue to strongly urge all whale watcher operators to contribute to local regulations governing whale watching (no international standard set of regulations exist because of the huge variety of species and populations). Common rules include:
*Minimize speed/"No wake" speed
*Avoid sudden turns
*Minimize noise
*Do not pursue, encircle or come in between whales
*Approach animals from angles where they won't be taken by surprise
*Consider cumulative impact - minimize number of boats at any one time/per day
*Do not coerce dolphins into bow-riding.
*Do not allow swimming with dolphins. This last rule is more contentious and is often disregarded in, for example, the
Caribbean.
(Source:
WDCS)
Almost all popular whale watching regions now have such regulations. Campaigners hope that a combination of peer pressure, the economic benefit of being advertised and promoted by
ethical tourism operators and operators' own passion for marine wildlife forces them to adhere to such regulations.
Around the world, whale watching can be had in various locations and climates. By area, they are:
Northeast Atlantic
Much of Europe is surrounded by water. Tidal straits, inlets, lagoons, and varying water temperatures, make it ideal for various species to live here from the Arctic Circle to the warm waters off of Greece. Unfortunately, this fact also relates to the fact that for centuries whaling was a way of life for many in Europe, including extinction of some important populations. Today, many nations have traded in harpoons for cameras and slowly there is some improvement. Whales are seen in good numbers off the coast of
Britain,
Ireland,
Scandinavia,
Spain, and
France. Commercial car ferries crossing the
Bay of Biscay from
Britain and
Ireland to
Spain and
France often pass by animals as large as
blue whales and as small as pods of
harbor porpoise and land based tours of these waters are not unheard of. In
Northern Norway,
Orcas are observed in
Vestfjord,
Tysfjord and
Ofotfjord in
Nordland as the
herring gathers in the
fjords to stay over the winter as well as being observed off the Lofoten islands during the summer. At
Andenes on
Andøya in
Vesterålen,
sperm whales can be observed all year round, although whale watching trips are only offered from May till September. The continental shelf [Eggakanten] and deep water where the
sperm whales congregate,is very close to shore, beginning only 7000m from the
Andenes harbour.
Northeast Pacific
On the West Coast of the United States and Canada, excellent whale watching can be found in Alaska (summer), British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands/Puget Sound in Washington, where pods of orca are even sometimes visible from shore. In
California good whalewatching can be found in spring, summer, and fall at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, Monterey Bay, the usual suspects including
humpbacks,
greys, and
blue whales. The west coast of Mexico including Baja California is an area known for its grey whale calving as well, and tourists flock here to witness mothers with their very large and inquisitve babies.
Southwest Pacific
Kaikoura in
New Zealand is a world-famous site for whales (in particular
Sperm Whales) and
Albatrosses.
Hervey Bay in
Queensland,
Australia offers reliable whale watching conditions for
Southern Humpback Whales from the beginning of August through to the end of November each year. Whale numbers and activity have increased markedly in recent years.
Port Stephens and
Byron Bay in
NSW are other popular hot spots for tours.
Southern Right Whales are seen in winter (June-August) along the south coast of
Australia. They are often readily viewed from the coast around
Encounter Bay near
Victor Harbor and up to a hundred at a time may be seen from the cliff tops at the head of the
Great Australian Bight near
Yalata.
Northwest Atlantic
In
New England and off the east coast of
Long Island, the whale watching season typically takes place from about mid-spring through October, depending both on weather and precise location. It is here that the
Northern Humpback Whale,
Fin Whale,
Minke Whale, and the very endangered
Northern Right Whale are often observed. For generations, areas like the
Gulf of Maine and
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ( part of the inner waters formed by
Cape Cod's hooked shape) have been important feeding grounds for these species and in the past this area was a whaling capital for the U.S. whaling industry, particularly the island of
Nantucket. Though strict laws prohibit the molestation of these large wild mammals, it is not unknown for the whales to approach the boats entirely on their own, particularly calves and juveniles. In recent years it is also not uncommon from time to time to see these huge animals playing and feeding in harbors of large cities, including
New York.
In
Canada, a popular whale-watching area is at
Tadoussac, Quebec, where
Beluga Whales favour the extreme depth and admixture of cold fresh water from the
Saguenay River into the inland end of the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In addition, the Maritimes shares a population of humpbacks with the
Gulf of Maine above.
Southwest Atlantic
In Brazil, humpback whales are observed off Salvador in Bahia State and at the National Marine Park of Abrolhos during their breeding season in austral winter and spring. Likewise, Southern Right Whales are observed from shore in Santa Catarina State during the same season, as mother/calf pairs can come as close to shore as 30 meters (about 100 feet). Income from whale watching has bolstered many a coastal community in Brazil and has made the township if Imbituba, Santa Catarina, recognized as a Brazilian "whale capital".
Africa
In
South Africa, the town of
Hermanus is one of the world centers for whale watching. During the winter months (July-October)
Southern Right Whales come so close to the Cape shoreline that visitors can watch whales from their hotels. The town employs a "whale crier" (cf
town crier) to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen.
All three of the current major whaling nations (
Norway,
Japan and
Iceland) have large and growing whale watching industries. Indeed Iceland had the fastest-growing whale watching industry in the world between 1994 and 1998.
Many conservationists now espouse the economic argument that a whale is worth more alive and watched than dead in order to try to persuade the governments of whaling nations to curtail whaling activities. The correctness of this argument is the subject of much debate at the
International Whaling Commission, particularly since argue about the whaling countries the 'scarcity' of whale meat which supposedly has caused it to become a luxury item, increasing its value. However whale meat markets have collapsed and in Japan the government keeps its flow artificially through subsidies and whale meat distribution in schools and other forms of whale meat promotion. In 1997 2,000 tonnes of whale meat were sold for $30m - a single 10 tonne
Minke Whale would thus have been worth $150,000. There is no agreement as to how to value a single animal to the whale watching industry, though it is probably much higher. It is possible to construct arguments that 'prove' a single whale is worth either much more or much less than this figure. However, it is clear from most coastal communities that are involved in whale watching that profits can be made and are more horizontally distributed thrtoughout the community than if the animals were killed by a whaling industry.
Upon the resumption of whaling in Iceland in August 2003, pro-whaling groups, such as fishermen who argue that increased stocks of whales are depleting fish populations, suggested that sustainable whaling and whale watching could live side-by-side. Whale watching lobbyists, such as
Húsavík Whale Museum curator Asbjorn Bjorgvinsson, counter that the most inquistive whales, which approach boats very closely and provide much of the entertainment on whale-watching trips, will be the first to be killed by whalers. Pro-whaling organisations such as the
High North Alliance on the other hand, have said that whale watching is not profitable and that some whale-watching companies in Iceland are surviving only because they receive funding from anti-whaling organisations (
statement from the HNA on the issue).
The rapid growth of the number of whale watching trips and the size of vessel used to watch whales has led to concerns that whale behaviour, migatory patterns and breeding cycles make be affected. Substantive evidence proving or disproving these concerns has yet to be published. However, as discussed in the following sections, localized research is beginning to bear fruit.
Writing in
Nature in April 2004, scientists from the
University of Durham working off the coast of
Washington in the northwest
United States discovered that
Orca are increasing the length of their calls to make themselves heard to each other above the din of boat engine noise. The research examined the length of the whales' calls between 1977 and 1981, 1989 and 1992 and 2001 and 2003. They found that whilst the call length had not changed much between the first two surveys, the third survey saw, at times of day when environmental noise exceeded a certain threshold, the Orca increasing the length of their calls by about 15% in an apparent effort to make themselves heard.
The researchers commented that this was in one sense a positive sign - Orca able to adapt to their environment rapidly. However populations of Orca in the area have fallen since a survey in 1996 and concern remains that the whale watching boats, and private boats that follow them that are less likely to follow local conservation guidelines, are causing intolerable environment stress to the creatures.
Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, editors Perrin, Wursig and Thewissen, ISBN 0125512502. In particular the article
Whale watching by Erich Hoyt.
Whale watching 2001: Worldwide tourism numbers, expenditures and expanding socioeconomic benefits, Erich Hoyt, ISBN 1901002098.
Whale watching, Discovery Travel Adventures Insight guide. ISBN 1563318369.
The Whale Watcher's Guide: Whale-watching Trips in North America, Patricia Corrigan, ISBN 1559716835.
Whales and Whale Watching in Iceland, Mark Carwardine, ISBN 997951129X.
On the Trail of the Whale, Mark Carwardine, ISBN 1899074007
*
Whale watching in Hawaii*
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society*
International Fund for Animal Welfare*
International Whaling Commission*
GREMM - Group for Research and Education of Marine Mammals, based in Quebec*
A discussion of various whale watching regulations around the world*
Homepage for The Oceania Project. Humpback Research Expedition, Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia*
Summary of the research from BBC News*
Abstract from Nature.com; full-text requires subscription*
Homepage for the Durham research group
