Responsible Whale Watching on the Silver Bank

A Topic Overview by Cloe Waterfield, Twentyfifty, for Conscious Breath Adventures
January 2010

The Sanctuary for Marine Mammals of the Silver Bank of the Dominican Republic is one of only a handful of places in the world where visitors can experience guided in-water encounters with Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). With the 2010 season commencing this February, all visitors and operators are reminded of the respectful, sensitive code of conduct on the Silver Bank, to ensure we maximize the learning potential and visitor experience without in any way compromising the safety of the animals.

This article briefly reviews the contemporary scientific understanding of the impact of whale watching activities on cetaceans. A summary of the good, the bad and recommended management approaches is provided, relevant to the Silver Bank.

Commercial whale-watching has been a tourist activity since the mid 1950s, when visitors paid $1 to view Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) at close quarters off San Diego. By 1985, New England had become the hub of whale watching activity, coincidentally to view Humpback whales (among other species) in their winter feeding grounds (Weinrich and Corbelli, 2009). The industry now attracts more than 13 million participants across 119 countries and overseas territories and is valued at $2.1 billion USD annually (IFAW 2009). Concerns about how activities might affect the animals, along with a proliferation of research papers, led to the 2004 establishment of a special whale-watching sub-committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to summarize relevant research and knowledge. The committee has published five reviews, most recently in 2008-2009 (Scarpacci et al, 2009).

The positives include (from Hoyt, 2005):

• Instilling participants with an increased appreciation for cetaceans and the environment in general.
• Providing an enjoyable recreational experience.
• Stimulating local economies.
• Adding to scientific knowledge of cetaceans.
• Enhancing participants’ spiritual or psychological well being through either a greater connection with nature and/or an improved sense of accomplishment and self worth.

Negatives stem primarily from a lack of sensitivity and respect for the environment and the animals, coupled with a dearth of management guidelines and too many operators in one area. Issues of concern include:

• Increased noise pollution (Sousa-Lima & Clark, 2008).
• Ship strikes (Weinrich and Corbelli, 2009).
• Reductions in feeding times and other behavioral changes (Scarpacci et al, 2009).
• Fuel use (contributing to greenhouse gas emissions from local and regional travel needs), and waste production (Hoyt, 2005).

Applying the lessons learned from one’s research is the goal of any scientist. Indeed, the intent of this article is to collate what is known and consider it in the context of work on the Silver Bank. Contributors to the IWC reports provided recommendations for whale watching operations which included:

• Provide a management framework.
• Establish protected zones around feeding or nursery areas.
• Implement vessel distance and speed restrictions.
• Increase education and interpretative activities (Scarpacci et al, 2009).

The good news for visitors to the Silver Bank is that the advice has been heeded. The Dominican Republic is exemplary in providing not only a management framework, but recognizing the legal status of the Sanctuary, establishing and publishing zones and rules for vessel operations, and providing on-going operator review and observation (Silver Bank, 2009).

Vessel approach guidelines

The Sanctuary was established by Presidential decree in 1996 (while being recognized for its value a decade earlier). Only three operator permits are issued, and less than 510 people annually participate in Humpback encounters. Guests are required to undergo orientation on soft in-water encounters (the only type of in-water activity allowed). Figure 1 shows the typical concentric rings for vessel approach and distance rules.

In contrast to a summary of global commercial whale watching activities (1998) which found that a little over half included environmental education, visits to the Silver Bank are highly educational in nature and 100% of guides are experienced naturalists.

The common view of a whale watching excursion is a day trip on a vessel where one hopes to spot a breaching or exhaling whale in the distance. The culmination of the event is just to have “seen” one. On the Silver Bank whale watching enters a new realm through in-water encounters. The seriousness of swimming with breeding whales cannot be diminished. Research from New England showed that there was no negative impact on breeding success for Humpbacks on the Stellwegen Bank (Weinrich and Corbelli, 2009); however, these animals are the subject of those ‘typical’ boat- based watching activities. As described in Sanctuary regulations, naturalists on the Silver Bank are trained to observe any deviation from normal behavior which might be related to too much attention from visitors, and the whale(s) in question should be left in peace.

More studies are needed to understand not only how whale watching affects the whales, but also how we’re affected by the experience. Learning what aspects of and, experiences, from the trip made the greatest difference to visitors is of particular interest, and this information will enable operators to maximize the educational content.

Lessons from the scientific community are that with respect and consideration, whale watching can be a win-win for all parties. In 2009, Australian Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, said: “Responsible whale watching is the most sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and economically beneficial ’use’ of whales in the 21st century.”

For sources for this overview and further reading, please see:

Hoyt, E. 1998, Watch a whale; learn from a whale. Enhancing the educational value of whale watching. In Proceedings, Swan Festa, Third International Whale Watch Forum. Muroran, Japan, 5_/19.

Hoyt, E., 2005, Sustainable Ecotourism On Atlantic Islands, With Special Reference To Whale Watching, Marine Protected Areas And Sanctuaries For Cetaceans, Biology And Environment: Proceedings Of The Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 105b, No. 3, 141 _/154

IFAW, 2009, see: http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/media_center/press_releases/6_23_2009_55364.php

Scarpacci, C., Luck, M., and Parsons, E.C.M., 2009, Recent advances in whalewatching research: 2008-2009, available on-line at: http://www.iwcoffice.org/_documents/sci_com/SC61docs/SC-61-WW1.pdf

Sousa-Lima, R.S. & Clark, C.W. (2008). Modelling the effect of boat traffic on the fluctuation of humpback whales singing out in the Abrolhos National Marine Park, Brazil. Canadian Acoustics, 36(1), 174-181

Silver Bank, 2009, http://associatives.org/silverbank.de/Regulations/regulations.html

Weinrich, M. and Corbelli, C., 2009, Does whale watching in Southern New England impact humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf production or calf survival? Biological Conservation 142 , 2931–2940