Posts Tagged ‘Responsible Whale Watching’
No way is this responsible whale watching Norway
As a new year dawns, how I wish that for once I could be writing something positive about Norway’s relationship with whales. After Norwegian whalers killed a record number of minke whales last year, despite little domestic demand, and the Norwegian government licensed trapping minke whales in nets to forcibly test their hearing, there must…
Read MoreTrue identities of Weymouth’s ‘bonnie’ dolphins revealed
The origins of two bottlenose dolphins who have spent the last two summers feeding and playing around in Weymouth Bay, Dorset has finally been revealed. Hundreds of visitors have enjoyed the dolphin visitors from boat trips out of Weymouth Harbour, and had been named locally as ‘Harry and Wills’. However, following a chance posting of…
Read MoreNearly 1000 humpbacks seen off southwestern Japan
Good news for whale watching operators and enthusiasts has emerged from Japan (a country normally associated with cruel whale hunts), where the number of humpback whales seen in waters around the southwestern coast of the country during the winter season has reached a record high of 971. Official figures reveal 578 groups consisting of a…
Read MoreMarine tourism and keeping dolphins safe
We use the waters around the UK commercially and for fun. But all this human activity can cause harm to whales and dolphins. Whales, dolphins and porpoises need to feed, rest, socialise and reproduce to stay healthy and to keep their populations strong. If you get too close to these activities, you might unwittingly cause…
Read MoreNew guidelines introduced to reduce impacts to Southern Resident orcas
The recent Washington State Executive Order and initiation of the Southern Resident Recovery Task Force has already resulted some changes, with new guidelines for the upcoming summer season in the core summer habitat of the endangered Southern Resident orcas. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced a voluntary no-go zone for recreational…
Read MoreAnother risky summer for West Coast humpbacks
For the third year in a row, the coast of California has been treated to a “whale spectacular” of humpback whales coming very close to shore, even into San Francisco Bay, giving tourists and residents, both casual onlookers and avid whale watchers, an amazing look into the lives of these magnificent beings. The whales are…
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