Urgent Need for Empirical Research into Whaling and Whale Watching

Abstract

Recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) debate on the interaction of whale watching and whaling provides fertile ground for empirical research (International Whaling Commission 2005). Commentary to date on the relationship between whale watching and whaling has been largely anecdotal, rendering the potential effect whaling might have on whale watching largely uninformed. From this situation emerges the need for empirical research into the relationship between two conflicting and probably mutually exclusive interests related to whaling and whale watching. Tourism typically develops following a predictable pattern (Butler 1980). After a period of slow growth, visitor numbers often undergo a phase transition of rapid development to reach an equilibrium (Duffus & Dearden 1990). Tour operators try to achieve sustainability by maintaining visitor numbers close to the carrying capacity of the whale-watching fleet. The likelihood that sustainability will be achieved is related to many extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as economic viability, competition, and sustainability of the resources on which the system relies. Whale watching relies on whales as the primary attraction for visitors. Activities, such as fishing and whaling, and pollution can affect the number of whales present at a tourism site. These activities can result in fewer tourist visits to a site either as a direct consequence of a decrease in the whale population or because of incompatibilities between competing activities and the values of whale watchers.