2012 Report on Responsible Whale and Dolphin Watching

Whale and dolphin watch operators take the lead on responsible whale watching

Ever wanted to go whale watching in a whaling country but wondered whether you should? Maybe you dream of seeing whales in the most inspiring and educational environment possible? Perhaps you would like to swim with dolphins but are unsure what constitutes responsible practice?

All these questions, and many more, are discussed in the first Report on Responsible Whale and Dolphin Watching ever produced by the very people that spend more time with these magnificent animals than anybody else. Together, they represent the very best of the whale and dolphin watching industry from around the world. In 2012 a coalition of these businesses formed a partnership committed to adopting new strategies that will prioritise the welfare of whales and dolphins and the long-term sustainability of the industry. This report describes just some of the ways in which they intend to do it. View and download the report here.

The demand to see whales and dolphins in the wild is increasing worldwide (attracting over 13 million people in 119 countries in 2008), and there are many positive aspects to watching cetaceans from commercial vessels, including improved opportunities for research and the potential to educate and inspire millions of people.

However, there is also growing evidence to show that watching whales and dolphins in the wild may be having a detrimental effect upon them. Although this is by no means universally true, it is widely accepted that the whale and dolphin watching industry remains poorly regulated in many areas and suffers from a lack of internal direction. The standard of tours on offer is also highly variable.

It is intended that by sharing the experience and knowledge they have picked up over many years, the companies in this report will underline the commercial benefit that sustainable operation has brought to their businesses. The report shows that the whale and dolphin watching industry has already developed viable solutions to many of the problems arising and is willing to discuss how these can be implemented across the industry. It takes an honest and in-depth look at how issues of sustainability and responsibility are being tackled by those who work closest with cetaceans each year - the whale and dolphin watch tour operators.

The 2012 Report on Responsible Whale and Dolphin Watching is the start of something new and exciting - the opportunity for those working in the industry to share ideas and work together to improve the standards of their businesses and guarantee long term financial stability and sustainability. Crucially, it also illustrates that efforts to conduct responsible whale watching tours also benefit operators financially in a number of ways - meaning that there is no reason why these ideas, and many more that the partnership hopes to incorporate in the future, should not be taken up across the industry and across the world.

This report was created by the following 12 whale and dolphin watch operators through their roles as 2012 Responsible Whale Watch Partners:

Arctic Whale Tours, Norway; Cape Ann Whale Watch, USA; Conscious Breath Adventures, Dominican Republic; Dolphin Encountours, Mozambique; Elding, Iceland; FIRMM, Spain; Hebridean Whale Cruises, UK; Marine Discovery Penzance, UK; Turmares Tarifa, Spain; Whale Watching Panama, Panama; and Whale Watch West Cork, Ireland.

The report was part-funded by Defra (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK), and launched at the World Whale Watch Conference, held in Brighton, UK, on 25th October 2012. It is now fully revised and available for free download. Click here.

For further information please contact: Dylan Walker. dylan@planetwhale.com. Tel: +44(0)1273 355011

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