SPECIAL ASPECTS OF SPERM WHALES AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO WHALE
WATCHING
7.2 Guidelines For Boats And Equipment For Use In Whale-Watch Operations
Boat Specifications
Whale-watch vessels should allow passengers and crew a good view all around the boat,
but especially forward.
The helmsman should have a good unobstructed forward view
Passengers should be encouraged to use binoculars.
Vessels should be limited to 30 metres or less in length.
Box 5. Recommended Guidelines For Sperm Whale-Watch Operators In Boats
Distance to whales
Recommendations to whale-watch boat operators
Special Considerations
At all times when in vicinity of whales
Designate dedicated staff person as whale lookout (in addition to skipper).
Maintain boat speed of no more than 6 knots.
Do not switch off engine.
Do not approach under sail without engine running.
Co-ordinate multiple-boat approaches from same direction so that whales can swim away.
Do not allow tourists to enter water or attempt to swim with whales.
Socialising groups:
Do not exceed 30min in proximity to whales.
At 400-100m to nearest whale
Exercise cautionary behaviour listed above, plus:
Minimise boat noise.
Make no sudden changes in speed or direction.
Do not reverse direction (except in emergency).
Maintain boat speed of no more than 2 knots faster than whalesÂ’ travel speed.
Move toward whales from behind.
If whales approach, stop vessel in neutral.
If whales show signs of disturbance (Box 2), stop vessel and/or move slowly away.
At 100-50m to nearest whale
Exercise cautionary behaviour listed above, plus:
Position boat within a 60" sector behind whale.
Maintain boat speed that does not exceed whales' travel speed.
Never approach closer than 50m.
Socialising groups:
Do not approach closer than 100m.
Female groups:
Never approach solitary calves.
Departure to >400 m from dive location
If idling, wait 5min after whale(s)' dive before engaging gear.
If already moving, continue cautiously at the same speed.
Follow instructions for 400m distance until >400m from where dive occurred.
Propulsion System
Sperm whales are sensitive to noise. The noise production of a given engine can usually be reduced by:
ensuring proper functioning of the engines and generators, i.e. adjustment of
carburation, injectors; make sure there are no parts loosely mounted, no modifications
that may cause vibrations or overheating
effective silencing of exhaust which should be vented in air, not underwater
silent blocks (shock-mount) between engines/generators and hull
sound insulation between engines/generators and hull
quiet engine to shaft connections
well maintained shaft, bearings and seals (straight shaft)
no damaged or bent propeller blades which are bound to be noisy
installing slow turning engines, and less cavitating propellers
keeping all gear on board (including bilges) secured, in order not to generate
uncontrolled noises
Sonar
Active sonar has not proved useful for finding whales. For navigation purposes only use sonar of
frequencies of 50 kHz or above.
Passive Acoustic Equipment
Directional hydrophones are of great value in helping to locate submerged sperm whales, and may also
be used to get an indication of the quantity and quality of noise generated by a particular vessel.
Listening to whales can be a very rewarding part of a whale-watching experience.
7.3 Recommended Guidelines For Aircraft In Sperm Whale-Watch Operations
Aircraft are particularly likely to affect whales if they fly directly over them (because more sound then
enters the sea) and/or the aircraft's shadow passes close to the whales.
No aircraft should fly directly over whales (singles or groups) at altitudes lower than 300 metres
to reduce the effects of noise. The aircraft's shadow should be kept from passing close to whales.
No aircraft should fly over female groups at altitudes lower than 300 metres. In the vicinity of
large groups with many whales present, the procedures to minimise disturbance described above are not
feasible.
7.4 Recommended Guidelines For Special Permits For Close and/or In-Water Approaches
Of Film-Makers To Sperm Whales
While film-makers are likely to cause more disturbance to whales this can potentially be balanced by the
greater benefits; good films are seen by very large audiences so that the disturbance of a few animals
could carry a positive message to millions of viewers. Also films are attractive as a means of promoting
a country, including its whale-watching industry. Filmmakers might also contribute direct revenue
through a license fee.
It was noted that as more films were made about whales, film-makers were seeking ever more difficult
and impressive images, involving closer approaches to animals in a variety of situations. For example,
the group was told that in Japan, where there are no regulations to
control whale-watching, a great many would-be film-makers are pressuring
the operators to make repeated close approaches to whales.
It was agreed that these recommendations from the workshop should cover
ail areas, whether or not they have in place regulations to control whale
watching.
It was proposed that the important recommendations for film-makers
should be:
Not to target calves (potentially the easiest to approach and most
endearing image)
To use expert local guides and/or experienced field scientists as
advisors.
Not to manipulate whale behaviour.
To accompany closeup footage with explanatory comments about
special precautions taken by film-makers (e.g. recommendations a-c)
to avoid disturbing animals while filming.
7.5 Guidelines To Establish Carrying Capacity Of Sperm Whale-Watching
Operations In A Given Area
Having adopted and enforced appropriate codes of conduct for whale
watchers, managers have next to decide what level of whale watching,
within this framework, is acceptable. In effect, what is the biological
carrying capacity for whale watching in the area being considered. (it was
noted that the situation in Dominica was unusual and fortunate, in that some
baseline research had been carried out before the establishment of whale-
watch operations, whereas in most other areas it was likely that research
would only begin after whale watching had started.)
It was recognised that many different impacts should be taken into account,
including disturbance which the whale might be exposed to in different
regions at other times of the year or at different times in the animal's life
cycle.
The difficulty of conducting and funding research needed to address this
question was widely acknowledged by the participants. It was felt by some
that one productive approach might be to investigate how data which could
easily be collected from whale-watching operations, in some cases by the
operators themselves, could indicate whether whale watching was being
conducted at an appropriate level. For example, it would be a simple
matter to log a whalewatching boat's behaviour with a simple
computer/GPS system and to record when boats were with whales and
how many other vessels were also present. Marked changes in the
behaviour of whale-watching boats, such as having to go further to find
whales, or to find whales without other boats present, could be indicators
that whale watching effort was becoming too high. Clearly work needs to
be done to investigate how best to collect and interpret such data and this
should be a priority.
It was agreed that in the likely initial absence of the required information,
recommendations should be kept very simple and non-specific, and that the
initial level of activity should be set conservatively, especially for social
groups. A possible interim guideline was suggested:
Any individual sperm whale should not have commercial whale-
watch vessels within 400 metres for more than 25% of its surface
time during daylight hours.
Discussion then focused on how feasible it would be to implement research
programmes that could effectively identify individual whales (to assess
whether or not the above objective was being met), and to estimate the
local population abundance.
It was agreed that in the absence of detailed information on the effects of
boat activity on sperm whales in the area in question, it would often be
appropriate to take the following steps:
Freeze the current capacity, where whale-watching has
already started, pending research to justify further expansion.
Minimise the number of visits to whales by recommending
the use of larger vessels (but less than 30m long) and
fewer trips.
Encourage the use of quieter motors and
hull/engine/propulsion systems;
Where population estimates are available, use the lower
limit of the estimate to assess the available resource.
Set a maximum of 25% of daylight hours for contact
between individual whales or groups of whales and
whale-watch vessels.