Watching Whale Watching

CWF'S lead marine biologist, Sean Brillant, on the right way to go whale-watching

Viewing wild animals in their natural habitats can be thrilling, often igniting in participants a lifelong passion and dedication to conservation. It also can be invasive, disruptive and harmful to animals. Doing it right requires consumers to be conscientious and committed to making good choices. Over the years, scientific studies have shown that whale-watching can be disruptive to whales. Though there’s no evidence to suggest it causes serious injury or fatalities (like so many other human activities in the ocean), careless operators who steer close to and cut across the direction of swimming whales, pursuing animals for a better view or allowing customers to touch the animals, are dangerously disruptive. This stresses whales, altering their normal behaviours, chasing them from favoured areas, even causing collisions. Regulations — and their enforcement — are the most important way to ensure safe whale-watching operations. Enhanced in August 2018, Canada’s Marine Mammal Regulations mandate that all vessels must stay at least 100 metres away from marine mammals (200 metres from West Coast killer whales, 400 metres from St. Lawrence beluga). It is also illegal to touch or swim with animals, to separate individuals from a group or to “corral” animals. Fines can reach $500,000, and repeat offenders face imprisonment. More than 50 countries have guidelines for watching whales, and in many places, local whalewatching operators develop and agree to follow voluntary codes of conduct. With the right controls and limits, responsible whale-watching can be a good thing. In addition to creating a crucial connection between people and marine wildlife, whale-watching operations can gather data on the location and movement of populations and report unusual or new species in areas. Whale-watching outfits are often the first to observe and report distressed, injured or entangled marine mammals. So before you head out on the water for the awe-inspiring opportunity to see whales in their natural habitat, ask these questions. Does the jurisdiction have good regulatory and conservation practices? Does the operation you are considering have a meaningful code of conduct? Do they have clear rules for approaching the animals? Have they a history of running afoul of regulations? Are they involved in research? Do they assist in marine animal rescue? Following these simple guidelines will help you choose responsible operators, support a sustainable local economy and help conserve abundant, healthy populations of whales.