Wildlife watching is a multi-billion dollar industry that spans the globe and can have potentially negative impacts on the targeted species. However, when conducted thoughtfully and respectfully, can have positive impacts not only on the animals but on their environments as a whole. Conservation education, regulation compliance, and continued monitoring and research contribute to the positive impacts of marine tourism.
In 2014, the Queensland government authorized commercial tourism companies to begin swimming with humpback whales, currently listed as a “vulnerable” species under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. We are investigating the behavioral impact of commercial swim with whales tours in Hervey Bay. Our objectives are to better understand if humpback whales change their behavior due to in-water interactions with humans, identify factors which may influence behaviour change, and provide recommendations to governing authorities, resource managers, and tour operators to ensure that Hervey Bay’s humpback whales are not negatively impacted by swim-with-whales tourism.
Nozomi Kobayashi, Okinawa Churashima Foundation
2021: Stack, S.H., Sprogis, K.R., Olson, G.L., Sullivan, F.A., Machernis, A.F. and Currie, J.J. The behavioural impacts of commercial swimming with whale tours on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Australia. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI 10.3389/fmars.2021.696136. Download PDF.
2019: Stack, S.H., McCordic, J.A., Machernis, A.F., Olson, G.L., Currie, J.J. Preliminary report on the impacts of swim-with-whale tourism on humpback whale behavior in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. Document SC/68A/WW/02 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, Nairobi, Kenya: 10 May-22 May. 22 pp.
2015: New, L.F., Hall, A.J., Harcourt, R., Kaufman, G., Parsons, E.C.M., Pearson, H.C., Cosentino, A.M., and Shick, R.S. The modelling and assessment of whale-watching impacts. Ocean and Coastal Management http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.04.006.
2015: Meissner, A.M., Christiansen, F., Martinez, E., Pawley, M.D.M., Orams, M.B. and Stockin, K.A. Behavioural Effects of Tourism on Oceanic Common Dolphins, Delphinus sp., in New Zealand: The Effects of Markov Analysis Variations and Current Tour Operator Compliance with Regulations. PLOS ONE 10(1).
*For a full list of our research publications, click here: https://www.pacificwhale.org/research/publications/
Marine Conservation Happy Hour
Swimming With Whales and Dolphins
Should tourists swim with wild marine mammals? In this episode we talk to PWF Chief Biologist Stephanie Stack about whether it’s safe, or sustainable, for humans to swim with wild dolphins and whales.
