A Collaborative Approach to Trans-Border Whale Watching

Our search for whales has evolved from centuries of lethal whaling to the present-day pursuit of simply watching whales.  Contemporary whale watchers aim with cameras and binoculars, rather than harpoons.  Though whale watching is non-consumptive, it is widely recognized that operating guidelines and minimum viewing distances are key to reducing human impact.  Our goal was to provide a synopsis of the first international cooperative effort between resource managers, scientists and the whale watchers that operate in the inland waters of British Columbia and Washington.  The southern resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) population frequents these trans-border waters and is the basis of a seasonal whale watching industry.  This closed population is small (n<100) and considered Endangered in Canada and the US.  More than 60 commercial and countless recreational vessels operate within core killer whale habitat.  The unique trans-boundary aspect of the region inspired the formation of the Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest (WWOANW) in 1994 by commercial whale watch operators.  Based upon on a principle of open exchange, the WWOANW provided a communicative platform for government managers, research scientists, enforcement agencies and commercial operators.  This integrative approach resulted in significant conflict reduction amongst competing interests (e.g. researchers, commercial operators etc) and improved organization of commercial vessels.  Further achievements include increased rigor of whale watch guidelines specifying spatial, behavioural and species-specific operating procedures and voluntary exclusion zones contributed to vessel-free areas.  The WWOANW framework also provides an avenue for financial and in-kind contributions to trans-boundary scientific research.  From this, we conclude that the collaborative process supplied the incentive for significant industry modifications, which resulted in noteworthy conservation actions.  The WWOANW framework is dynamic and iterative, and it is hoped to provide a reference for other whale watch communities, and the managers responsible for the conservation of coastal cetaceans.