The time has come for whale watch tour guides to be professionals. The job should be viewed as a career, even if it is only part-time in many areas.
A certification process for whale watch guides is highly desirable. Guilds or associations of whale watch operators might provide the sponsorship of such certification. Guides could receive certificates from Workshops, with additional recognition as they study and gain experience. NG0s, both local and international, could assist in the certification process.
Where certification systems may be difficult to implement, standards of operation and skills should be promoted. It may be possible to use a local permit system, whereby awarding of permits could only occur if the applicant demonstrates the existence of a solid, continuous educational component in the operation.
Guides (naturalists) should be local people wherever possible. In some cases, guides may come from outside the region (as in Norway), and others may be researchers using the whale watch as a research platform. The important point is to involve the local community from the first and continue to involve them.
Local guides need not necessarily have a strong scientific background. In many areas, especially pioneering places, this is not possible. They should, however, be knowledgeable people with enthusiasm, strong communications skills and high personal motivation. In some cases, guides may be temporary, for instance, students who will stay for a year or two while they are studying. In other cases, the jobs will be looked upon as permanent.
Several Workshop participants noted that some of the local guides who become professional often also become community leaders, speaking about the local ecosystem with an authoritative voice, and are able to reach potentially large audiences through contact with tourists, researchers and NG0s.
Establishing and running whale watches, especially in pioneering localities, should ideally involve a partnership between local people, NG0s and local authorities working together to develop both the educational and business aspects of the whale watch operation. Educational standards and training should be community-based, specific to the site, comprise different levels and be on-going.
Local communities are more likely to protect and value the resources they "own". In the absence of local support, a whale watch operation might be misunderstood or even resented. Thus there is a need to educate the community about whale watching as well as the cetaceans and the local ecosystem. With a good partnership, experience has shown that there is considerable excitement when local customs and folklore become a part of the knowledge to be imparted to whale watchers. In this manner, a higher level of protection of the local environment may be fostered.
Examples come from the countries where the killing of dolphins is common. The focus is first to educate the local population about local cetaceans and their place in the ecosystem. This will not only help to develop whale watching but will provide an incentive to protect the resource with the result that fewer dolphins will be killed.
Training should be specific to the site and involve local culture and the environment. Guides should aspire to a high standard of accurate information. Their position is an important one, and, ideally, should include the following training.
Presentation:
Operational standards:
Content:
Guides should be trained in what to do on a whale-less whale watch. "Plan B" can include information about species other than whales which may be seen, geographical information and explaining the environment as a whole. if possible, alternative activities should be available - simple scientific apparatus onboard (inexpensive microscopes, plankton nets, etc.) can provide good education and recreation for the watchers. It is important to put the whales in their environmental context: they are only one of the species in the area, and all are inter-connected.
Where whale watching already exists, the resources of local contacts, local museums, research institutions and local NG0s can assist in training, which should be developed in conjunction with naturalists in existing whale watch operations to ensure commitment and relevancy. Training should be conducted at a site that is convenient to the people being trained. The Workshops must be flexible and must involve local taxa and ecology.
Workshops are recommended as a primary way of training guides. These are already in use, sponsored primarily by international NG0s such as WDCS and IFAW assisting local NG0s. The Workshops can last 4-5 days or more. They have been a successful training tool in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Information about a number of existing tour guide training schemes was presented, and is summarised below.
Iceland: the high quality of training given to general tour guides in Iceland was noted. Iceland has a six-month long intense training for tourist guides, which presently includes only one hour devoted to whale watch guides, but the overall concept of such training is a standard to be aspired to, encompassing as it does training in several languages. it is, however, expensive and may not be possible everywhere.
South Africa: it is planned that service personnel, for example bus drivers, receptionists, and ticket takers, will also receive training. As a result, whale watchers can have questions answered by a variety of people. Further educational programs are planned for South Africa. Guide training is carried out at private tourism schools with costs borne by the guides. It is, however, possible to obtain scholarships for whale watch and nature guide classes through local businesses.
Caribbean countries: there are training schools for hotel operations and personnel, and it is possible whale watching issues could be included in the curriculum of these schools.
Argentina: guides must pass an examination. The government, local universities and NG0s give courses lasting from a week to four months free of charge.
As a general statement, the Workshop felt that NG0s should offer themselves as a resource and remain in contact with tour operators and guides.
Updates and continuing education are also important. An example came from Australia, where, at Hervey Bay, workshops are organised by the government. Outside NG0s and scientists assist to convey the latest science and conservation issues and continue to expand the content of the whale watching education with ideas and techniques.
Guides may also be trained in an apprenticeship system. This can be an informal apprenticeship with hands-on training that lasts as long as it takes for a "student" to "learn the ropes". It may also be possible to set up apprenticeships or internships as a part of more formal guide training.
Boat operator training is paramount for the well-being of both whales and passengers. Irresponsible operations may negate the educational experience. Most countries do not have laws, regulations or standards for boat operators, and there are examples of a lack of common sense about whale/boat encounters. Even where regulations exist, some operators continue to harass the whales.
It is helpful for NG0s, operators and local authorities to work together. Local NG0s can assist in setting standards for responsible behaviour. The presence of scientists on board can help ensure responsible tour operation.
This is an area where certification would encourage responsible behaviour. If tour companies could advertise that they had certified tour guides on board, or that their vessel was certified, it could influence the public to choose a certified boat over an uncertified one. Responsible vessel operation and quality information should enhance customer satisfaction.
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