Seeing a whale up close and personal inspires people to conserve our oceans and in turn protect the worlds whales like nothing else can. The simple act of seeing a whale leaping from the water or a dolphin surfing in a boats wake arises a feeling in people for which there are no words to accurately describe. 

Personally, I know that seeing marine life face to face as a kid, whether it was at the local aquarium or on a whale watch, had a profound impact on the adult I’ve grown up to be. Over the years what started as a Sunday trip to an aquarium with my family transformed into a career in marine science. Funny how things work out like that. Looking back I realize that I was pretty fortunate growing up. Many people don’t have access to science museums, aquariums, whale watches, or even a back yard from which to launch youthful explorations of our natural world. It’s a proven fact that simple exposure to nature can foster a personal connection to our environment and it’s for that reason I’m proud to be a part of IFAW’s Floating Classroom program. It’s through this program that we work with schools to incorporate whale watching as an effective educational experience. Floating Classrooms is primarily focused on the Caribbean where there is a growing whale watching industry and tremendous interest in protecting whales for the important economic value of eco-tourism.

I’m writing this as I head to the small Island nation of Dominica where I plan to work with teachers incorporating the floating classrooms program into their curriculum. If there is one thing I enjoy doing, it’s talking to kids about whales. This is certainly going to be a hectic trip but I’m hoping to leave behind a terrific resource that affords an opportunity to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards to protect whales.

 

(PROVINCETOWN, CAPE COD, MA) – The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, in partnership with the Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, will host a 3-day marine education conference at the Hiebert Marine Laboratory in Provincetown, beginning at 9a.m., April 24 through April 26, 2009.

 

“Today’s naturalists understand that the most valuable aspect of whale watching is its potential to educate people of all ages and from all backgrounds to appreciate, value and understand marine mammals,” said Dr. Carole Carlson, of the Dolphin Fleet and adjunct scientist at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.  “The goal of our workshop is to help naturalists, through dedicated seminars and discussion, to translate the whale watch experience to a wider audience and to inspire greater involvement and follow-up activity from those who participated.”

 

The purpose of the conference is to educate naturalist/science educators, interns, volunteers, and those directly involved with whale watch tours or research in the Gulf of Maine region.  The conference will include morning lectures that address the status of great whales and seals in the region, physical oceanography and current conservation concerns.  Afternoon workshops include; “Plankton and the Ecosystem,” which includes lectures and hands-on identification of multiple species; and “Photo-Identification Catalogues,” how to best use them as both a research and education tool.   

 

Primary funding for the conference is made possible with support from the Wendy Joan Shadwell Fund for Whale Watch Naturalist Training and Education, created from a generous bequest from Wendy Joan Shadwell, a long time supporter of PCCS and devotee of whale watching aboard the Dolphin Fleet.  The fund was established by PCCS to support ongoing education programs for whale watch naturalists.

 

 “Responsible whale watching literally saves whales,” according to WDCS Senior Biologist, Regina Asmutis-Silvia.  “It is an economically viable alternative to whaling, a platform for research, and a means to educate millions of people about whales and the importance of the marine ecosystem.” 

 

The conference culminates on Sunday with a whale watch tour hosted by Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown, weather permitting. For more information, or to register for the conference, please contact Regina Asmutis-Silvia at regina.asmutis-silvia@wdcs.org.

Post written by Patrick Ramage, IFAW's Global Whale Program Director

Many people think commercial hunting of whales ended in the 1980s. Sadly, this is not the case! More than 30,000 whales have been killed since the 1986 commercial whaling ban and Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to slaughter whales for products that nobody needs. The Government of Japan leads this effort and its factory ship and fleet are killing whales right now in the waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica!

Whales face more threats today than at any time in history -- from marine pollution and habitat destruction, to entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with high-speed vessels. New and emerging threats such as global warming and ocean noise pollution are also threatening the ways whales breed, feed and migrate across our oceans

For more than two decades, IFAW has been giving hands-on-help to whales around the world. Not just on the water or on the beach but also in the halls of government. IFAW is a leader in the fight to protect our planet's great whales at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) the global body charged with protecting whales and managing whale stocks. On Sunday, January 25th, the Washington Post broke the news of a secret Bush administration plan to allow the Government of Japan to kill more whales.

Read the Post story and join our campaign to encourage governments worldwide, including the Governments of Japan, Iceland and Norway to put down the harpoon, pick up the camera and join the emerging global consensus for whale conservation in the 21st century!

Join our fight to protect whales - take action today at www.stopwhaling.org

I just wanted to update you on an historic moment in Pacific whale protection last week.

On Friday 3rd October, HRH Princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita was declared the Royal Patron for Whales in the Kingdom of Tonga in an event hosted by IFAW, the Tongan Visitors Bureau, the Vava'u Tourism Association and the Tonga Whale Watching Operators Association.

This heralds a new era for whale conservation in Tonga and, more broadly, the Pacific Islands region. As a little background, the previous King of Tonga (King Tupou IV) was a strong supporter of whale conservation and banned whaling in 1978 – as a result of his foresight the whale population is slowly recovering. Now the torch has been passed from father to daughter.

During her speech Princess Pilolevu made some very important announcements; that a fund is being established to support whale research and conservation in Tonga and that she would request the Government of Tonga declare Tonga a whale sanctuary, join the Convention on Migratory Species and ensure that whale watching guidelines are legislated and monitored.

Given the role and status of the Royal Family in Tonga, we hope these commitments will become a reality.

Regards

Erica Martin

Director IFAW Asia-Pacific

On Friday 3rd October Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita will be officially declared the Royal Patron of Whales in the Kingdom of Tonga.

In an event hosted by IFAW, the Tonga Visitors Bureau, Vava’u Tourism Association and the Tonga Whale Watching Operators Association, HRH Princess Pilolevu will accept the title in honour of her father, the late King Tupou IV, who banned all hunting of whales in Tonga in 1978.

Tonga has one of the fastest growing whale watch industries in the world and injects more than 2 million USD into the Tongan economy each year.

Read more on the website

Yesterday afternoon the Scientific Committee reported the conclusions of its discussions on whale watching, including that this activity may have population level impacts in certain circumstances.  A Steering Group has been established to finalize methodology for a ‘large scale’ study of whale watching impacts.

Many countries spoke to iterate the socio-economic importance of whale watching (eg Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, who were launching an IFAW/WDCS report on the value of whale watching in South America).  Apart from emphasizing the rate of increase, the economic returns and the job creation potential, interestingly several interventions emphasized that these benefits were not just occurring in developed countries, but the benefits were now also been seen in developing countries. Whaling countries made the usual observation that, in their experience, whale watching and whale hunting can coexist nicely together.

According to a new International Fund for Animal Welfare report announced today, whale watching plays a major role in attracting tourists to the Kingdom of Tonga. The report shows that whales continue to contribute strongly to the country’s economy, with whale watching tourism generating almost US$2 million annually and increasing at a rate of 20 percent a year.

The research commissioned by IFAW and Opération Cétacés found humpback whales bring significant economic benefits to Tonga,  where 15 percent of GDP is earned through tourism and recommends that whales need to be protected and conserved.