The Potential of Whale Watching in the Caribbean: 1999+

• Around Rincón, Puerto Rico, the annual arrival of the humpback whales during
the winter provides an exciting community focus, with thousands of land-based
whale watchers visiting the Punta Higuera Lighthouse and spending the day at
the park. Whales are not the only reason people visit, but they are a key reason
during the winter, and park concessions report increases related to whale
watching. The whales can be seen from the lighthouse, as well as from various
points on the hills around Rincón. Whales are even advertised on the internet and
in brochures to attract potential visitors and buyers looking for villas.
• From the Roseau area of Dominica, total revenues, most of which go into the
community, have now reached an annual $1 million USD (including food,
accommodation, travel, souvenirs, as well as the cost of the tickets themselves).
• On the island of Carriacou, in the Grenadines of Grenada, the educational
programme of the Kido Project provides a community basis for some of its
activities which include whale watching and other marine and land-based
programmes.
• In and around the town of Samaná, in the Dominican Republic, there are new
businesses and infrastructure directly attributable to the increase in visitors
during the whale watch season. Community members have started to improve
and extend facilities and to encourage land-based whale watching as well.
Although much work remains to be done so that local people can receive the
maximum benefits from whale watching, it has clearly become part of the
essential fabric of the town.
Whale watching is having a real impact on local economies in these and other
Caribbean locales. At present, however, the West Indies, or Greater Caribbean, is 'lightly
developed' for whale watching. The only area that shows development to rival other areas
of the world is Samaná Bay. There, in 1998, 21,784 people went whale watching in a
three-month season — an average of more than 7,000 people a month. By comparison,
whale watching in southern New England and at Tadoussac, Québec, Canada, attracted an
estimated 600,000 to 1 million participants over 3-5 months (120,000-333,000 people per
month).
Thus, the potential for whale watching in the Greater Caribbean is outstanding and
largely untapped through most of the region. What is needed, for those islands that might
wish to start or enhance their whale watching, is a careful development plan both to learn
from some of the mistakes made in other parts of the world, as well as to work on
establishing and promoting their own unique brand of whale watching (see Table 1.)
On the following pages, I will explore the potential of whale watching, country by
country, in the broadest sense of the word 'potential'. It is the economic potential, of
course, but because whales and dolphins are wild animals living in the waters around a
country, the scientific, educational and conservation potential are also discussed. I have
made a number of suggestions in each country section, as well as in the conclusions.
This report seeks to promote high quality, well-balanced whale and dolphin
watching in the Greater Caribbean. 'Well balanced' whale watching is whale watching that
provides the maximum benefit to cetaceans and people. It should make money for the
operator and be fun for the participant, but it should also help support scientific
programmes, contribute significantly to education, and all these things together should
contribute to the conservation of cetaceans. Without all these elements, whale watching
cannot be said to be successful, sustainable and to have achieved its full potential.
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