Whale watching surfaces as big business

Whale watching has become a prosperous industry in Provincetown, Massachusetts, a former whaling town

By Environmental News Network staff

While Japan and Norway continue to hunt whales, despite a 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling, the whale-watching industry continues to boom around the world.

Last year the $1 billion industry attracted more than 9 million enthusiasts in 87 countries and territories across the globe. It also caught the attention of internationally known whale researcher Erich Hoyt of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The report, Whale Watching 2000: Worldwide Tourism Numbers, Expenditures and Expanding Socioeconomic Benefits, shows that whale watching continues to grow in popularity.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Animal world

"We've seen phenomenal growth over the world since whale watching began in California in 1955 to the late 1980s when it exploded," said Hoyt. "Growth averages 12 percent a year, compared to overall world tourism of 3 to 4 percent."

In 1994, 65 countries offered whale watching activities as part of their tourism programs. Today, 87 countries boast such programs. Worldwide, the whale watching audience has grown from 5.4 million in 1994 to 9 million in 1998.

According to Hoyt, whale watching makes socioeconomic, educational, environmental and scientific contributions while whale hunting has only contributed to a significant decline of most whale species.

About 492 communities around the world boast whale watching enterprises. The new eco-tourism adventure is creating jobs and fostering business opportunities.

Whales are a common sight off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts

Whale watching is an educational tool, teaching students about the interconnectedness of the marine environment and the importance of marine conservation, according to Carole Carlson, senior marine biologist and whale watching expert at IFAW.

Whale watching also provides a practical platform for scientists and researchers in their study of cetaceans or the marine environment in general.

"There are 83 species of whales and dolphins (and porpoises) we know almost nothing about," said Hoyt.

"I think whale watching provides a great incentive for communities, and in some cases island communities, to preserve whale and dolphin populations as well as the marine environment itself," said Hoyt. "Conservation at a community level is absolutely vital for whale conservation, or any other maritime conservation, especially when it fuels the economy."

Two of the most common species for whale watching, blue whales and northern right whales, are classified as endangered species. Two others, humpback whales and southern right whales, are considered vulnerable. Except for these species, most whale species appear to be recovering from centuries of whaling.

Despite the worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling by the International Whaling Commission, Japan and Norway continue to hunt and kill them. Japan kills more than 500 whales annually under the pretext of scientific research, according to the IFAW.

"As we speak, there are 6 Japanese whaling vessels in the north Pacific and they are killing minke, Bryde's whales and sperm whales," said Carlson. "Whaling in Japan is not profitable. The government subsidizes the whaling industry with $1 million year, a direct cash subsidy to keep the vessels running. The meat is sold commercially in the marketplace."

Norway objected to the IWC moratorium and this year plans to kill more than 600 whales.

Japan's decision to maintain commercial whaling has attracted international attention. On Monday, 15 countries and 65 Japanese organizations called on Japan to end its whaling practices in the North Pacific. The U.S. government has threatened trade sanctions.

Between 1994 and 1998, whale watching in Japan grew 16.8 percent per year. In 1998, 102,785 enthusiasts in Japan watched whales and dolphins, spending an estimated $33 million in the adventure.

Copyright 2000, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

Navy to study possible link between beached whales and sonar
July 28, 2000
Toxins taint Norway's whale meat
July 26, 2000
Controversy swells around whaling commission meeting
June 29, 2000
Earth Matters: Whales win, sharks lose at endangered species summit
April 28, 2000

Toxins taint Norway's whale meat
Protecting whales and penguins (audio)
ENN whale quiz
Controversy swells around whaling commission meeting
Gray whale comeback
Right whale conservation (audio)
Legality of Makah whale hunt a gray area

Whale Watching 2000
The International Fund for Animal Welfare
Stop Whaling Now
Whaling and Fishing
The International Whaling Commission
North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission
Japan Whaling Association

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.