Report of the International Workshop on the

Educational Values

of Whale Watching

IFAW

Sponsored by

The International Fund for Animal Welfare

with support from

World Wildlife Fund

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

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SUMMARY

Whale watching is a world-wide industry accepted as a "sustainable use" of cetacean populations, compatible with Agenda 21 of the 1992 Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development. Most assessments of whale watching focus on the monetary returns, which are estimated at US $504 million (UK £311 million) per year, and have nearly doubled since 1991. In 1996 whale watching was practiced in 65 countries.

In the long term, It is probable that the most valuable thing about whale watching is its potential to educate people of all ages and from all backgrounds to appreciate, value and understand marine mammals and to connect humans in a dramatic way to another species and to the sea. It is generally assumed that whale watching is educational, but there has been no serious investigation of what this education is.

In May 1997, twenty-three whale watching experts from sixteen countries, and eleven observers, met in Provincetown, Massachusetts for five days to quantify and examine the educational values of whale watching around the world.

The goal of the Workshop was to produce a report which would encompass: 1) an assessment of current educational efforts; 2) identification of problems in the transfer of education, such as a need for multi-lingual materials and the content of commercial and non-profit promotional materials on whale watching; 3) the training of guides and boat operators; 4) methods of assuring quality information on whale watches, including certification of guides and boat operators; 5) whale watching in a formal academic setting, including use of new technologies such as the Internet and the World Wide Web; 6) the role of Non-Governmental Organisations in whale watching promotion and education materials; and 7) the role of local communities in whale watch education.

This report contains a model whale watching trip, based on a compilation of methods known to participants and enhanced by examples of successful techniques, which can serve as a guideline for whale watching globally. Throughout the Workshop, both areas with mature whale watching operations and those with pioneering operations were considered. The Workshop made a number of recommendations to encourage and enhance the quality of education during whale watching.

Whale watching varies considerably, reflecting differences in culture, educational methods, species encountered, and platforms of operation. Despite these differences, the Workshop felt strongly that all whale watching should contain an educational component adhering to a high standard of quality.

Citation: IFAW, WWF and WDCS. 1997 Report of the International Workshop on the Educational Values of Whale Watching, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA. 40 pages.

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