The attraction and curiosity about whales can be mutual if all the conditions are met. But when economic attraction and a lack of regulation combine, the whale-watching industry can turn into a hunt that is disrespectful of the sensibilities of these marine mammals.
Since whales were spotted in the fjords around the city of Tromsø, Norway, in 2011, “chaos ensued, improvised operators were formed, and there were no rules or guidelines,” says Giovanna Bertella of the School of Business Economics at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø. Here, as elsewhere, a growing marketing drive has quickly turned what was an ecotourism use of the resource into a tourist abuse of the whales. “You can feel an air of war between tour operators,” she says, describing what seems to be a race for blue gold. A challenge to see who can bring the tourists who demand ever closer encounters first and closest.
The problem is certainly not unique to the Scandinavian country – it is a global one. Whale-watching is an ever-growing industry that exploits an attraction, marine mammals, that is vulnerable and fearful of proximity to our species. Some solutions exist, says the expert, but they require the collective efforts of operators, institutions and even tourists to reduce the negative impacts of this type of tourism activity.
The first person to offer whale-watching tours was a fisherman from San Diego, California. In 1955, Chuck Chamberlain posted a sign on his fishing boat that read, “Whale watching: $1”. Until then, those who were curious to see humpback or orcas did so from land, equipped with binoculars. However, whale watching from the shore has been a well-known practice for a long time before that.
In the mid to late 1980s, concern over the threat of whaling and empathy for these intelligent and elusive ocean creatures led to a surge in interest in whale watching. Tourist programs began to expand rapidly in areas such as Argentina, the Canary Islands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
By 1991, only 31 countries were involved in whale watching. Meanwhile, as the value of whale watching rose, a 1998 global survey of the whale watching industry found a market of 9 million tourists. By 2008, that number had risen to nearly 13 million tourists spending $2.1 billion in 119 countries. Since then, whale watching has continued to grow. According to the latest estimates, the industry provides no less than 13,000 jobs and involves at least 15 million visitors.
The case of Skjervoy, the small village that is experiencing a tsunami-like flood of tourists offered the “once in a lifetime experience” of swimming with orcas, is emblematic. The transformation from a small fishing village to the starting point for an easily Instagrammed, yet “exclusive” experience is a scenario repeating itself across the world’s oceans.
“Tragedy almost struck in a fjord north of Tromsø when herring fishing vessels risked contact with herring hunting orca pods,” says Bertella. In 2019, following the near-miss, the government issued some rules of conduct when fishing vessels are present, but these do not take into account aspects of whale conservation or the tourist practice itself. In the absence of rules, an accident is just around the corner. The expert adds: “In 2021, together with a group of scientists and experts, we wrote a letter to the government urging it to issue rules and recommendations. But our appeal fell on deaf ears, and I have somewhat lost hope.”
In Kaldfjorden, just a few minutes from Tromsø, whales appeared for the first time in 2011, opening a new gateway for whale watching. By 2016, there were already more than 34 tour operators offering “another experience besides watching the aurora borealis”. Want to see the aurora? Why not dive with the killer whales? Unfortunately, this has made Kaldfjorden a new hotspot for whale watching.
Luxury yachts, catamarans, old fishing boats, kayaks, foreign boats, research vessels, fast rigid dinghies and even swimmers compete to get to the whales in a chaotic and stressed swarm. In some cases, hundreds of tourists have been spotted around a pod (family group) of orcas. “These marine mammals, like many others, are extremely disturbed by the proximity of boats and people,” Bertella says.
Whales migrate longer distances than any other mammal, both to feed and to mate. Since the days of industrial whaling, they have been at the whim of our imaginations. They have been dangerous giants, capable of sinking a ship, but also a valuable commodity. Initially, whale watching acted as a driving force to engage civil society and governments to move away from whaling, culminating in a global moratorium on the practice, finally introduced in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission. This moratorium was not signed by Norway, Iceland and Japan, and excludes hunting by some indigenous populations (Iceland intends to end this activity as of this year).
The whale-watching industry and the whales themselves are threatened by multiple factors. In the wild, whale behavior is affected by rising sea surface temperatures, shifting currents, and changes in food abundance. But perhaps even more rapidly is the impact of whale watching.
Hunting has decreased, but we continue to see them through the lens of consumption. From a low-impact ecotourism practice, it has shifted to mass tourism. According to the World Bank, nature-based tourism is the fastest growing segment of tourism. But this does not mean that it is respectful of ecosystems and their organisms.
Interacting with whales, sometimes aggressively, sometimes with a minimum of respect, is risky. “The effects can be very long-lasting, whales, orcas, dolphins can suffer from behavioural and physiological effects,” said Bertella. “Studies show how whales try to avoid boats, for example by prolonging apnea when they feel threatened.”
The best way to manage whale watching in a sustainable way remains a challenge for most countries. Regulations are lacking, and government supervision is often insufficient. Guidelines are not always followed by tour operators, who in some cases are in competition with each other and feel threatened by a negative Google or Tripadvisor review from tourists expecting a close encounter while struggling to catch a glimpse of a whale in the distance.
Unlike Norway, other countries have made it illegal and penalized to get too close to whales. In Canada, for example, the fine for getting too close to a whale can be as high as 12,000 Canadian dollars. However, whale-watching rules around the world are generally inconsistent, with each country doing it its own way. In the Azores, where some of the Tromsø humpbacks migrate, the number of boats is strictly limited by a licensing system. In Norway (as in Iceland), all you need to start a business is a licensed boat and a skipper.
“In Norway, but not only here, whale watching is an unsustainable practice,” says Bertella. “It would be a pity if Tromsø, which has recently entered this market, did not take advantage of the opportunity to develop an excellent tourist product.”
Still, something can be done. Keeping a safe distance without harassing whales (there are several guidelines available on the Internet), reducing engine noise, or turning off engines when the whale is clearly resting are some of the most common recommendations.
“Among the stakeholders involved in whale-watching activities, operators play a key role in implementing and communicating the importance of marine conservation and in guiding and inspiring tourists,” says Anna Scaini, a geographer at Stockholm University. “One idea could be to educate operators and tourists about the importance of observing cetaceans in their natural environment and thus not interfering with their activities,” she suggests.
Getting too close should really be prohibited. “Snorkeling in orca pods or near whales should also be absolutely forbidden; it is an activity that comes close to animal abuse,” says Bertella.
The recreational aspect is often promoted by tour operators by including the activity in the traditional tourist package. Efforts should be made to educate tourists about the added value of a resource-friendly activity. There is evidence that unsustainable practices can have a negative impact on tourist satisfaction, which in turn has an impact on the competitiveness of tourist destinations. Well-informed tourists are satisfied even if they are not offered to pet orcas. Tourists would then do their part by asking operators what guidelines they follow and pointing out instances where international recommendations are ignored.
The wild west atmosphere in the Arctic fjords from Norway to Iceland is an example of the non-sustainability of the whale-watching industry, but it can be solved, it just needs rules and awareness on the part of both operators and tourists.
Jacopo Pasotti has a distinguished career in photography, journalism and science communication. He covers topics related to climate change, biodiversity and conservation, and works with the media, universities and international organisations.
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