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| Whale and Dolphin
Watching in Europe |
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Introduction
Europe offers ample opportunity for Whale and Dolphin watching,
as millions of people have already experienced. Whale watching has
over the years become a booming business, replacing the killing
of whales by watching them - with the exception of Norway and Japan.
Every year, in Europe alone, more than 2 million people participate
in a trip to see whales and dolphins, spending over 200 million
euros. Watching whales and dolphins has socio-economic benefits
for local people, as many fishermen have found another job and a
future. And you, as a visitor, can enjoy a spectacular and educational
experience - if you are lucky and if the operators behave as they
should, because a report presented by EUCC-The Coastal Union indicates
that only a minority of whale watching operators is willing to report
on their environmental performance and many of them do not adopt
guidelines to limit impacts on the animals and the marine environment.
In a pursuit of short-term profits not all operators have enough
respect for the animals, and their boats often move too fast and
too close to them. The resulting impacts of noise, pollution and
disturbance on whales and dolphins can be considerable. Australian
research has shown that cetaceans that were disturbed too much suffered
from reduced reproduction. Several international organisations have
consequently developed minimum guidelines aimed at providing a framework
for local or national regulations. |
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| Minimum Guidelines
and an assessment of operators |
In an effort to promote sustainable whale watching
and as a contribution to the International Year of Ecotourism,
the EUCC and the University of Amsterdam in 2002 launched an
assessment of all european Whale Watching Operators with regard
to a list of 15 minimum guidelines.
Visitors who want to avoid finding themselves in doubtful manoeuvres
can now check the performance of operators
before booking.
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| Report and Article |
| If you want to learn more about EUCC's whale and dolphin watching
research, you can take a look at the report
and a short article that
has been published in EUCC's magazine Coastline. |
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