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6.4 KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal currently has two of its five available permits in use. The main whale species sighted here are migrating Humpback Whales. This migration is partly associated with the well known Sardine Run, whjch is accompanied by spectacular congregations of dolphins, sharks, game fish and seabirds. This phenomenon is well known along the Hibiscus and Durban Metro coasts and has received increasing publicity and marketing to advertise it as the “greatest shoal on earth”. The whale migration extends further north along the entire KwaZulu-Natal coast. #S Towns Provincial boundaries BBWW Areas Closed area Permitted area Sodwana Bay #S 25 St Lucia #S 24 Richard's Bay #S 23 Ballito#S Umhlanga#S 22 Durban #S Shelly Beach Margate #S #S Port Edward #S 20 21 Figure 6.4. Map of KwaZulu-Natal showing towns and Areas mentioned in the text. 6.4.1 Hibiscus Coast (Area 20-21; Permits: 1 of 2) The Hibiscus Coast region is characterised by its favourable climate and scenic beauty, and has a well developed infrastructure with numerous small coastal towns, catering to highly seasonal leisurebased tourism (DEAT 1999). As with areas in the Western Cape, it benefits greatly from its good transport networks and proximity to a major urban centre, the Durban Metro. As with much of the KZN coastline, harbour and mooring facilities are highly localised and uncommon resulting in the majority of boat users relying on surf-launching in order to access the ocean and its resources. The style of launching places restrictions on the maximum size and passenger capacity of boats used both in terms of practicality and safety and has interesting consequences in terms of optimal passenger capacity and boat numbers for boat-based whale watching operators in the region. 49
Permitted activity There is a permit holder for Area 21. In this operation, boat-based whale watching is currently considered a secondary activity, with whale watching trips estimated to contribute about 30% of annual income to the overall boat-based business. It should be noted that although these trips were referred to as “whale watching” and the majority occurred during whale watching season (June- September/October), dolphins were more commonly seen and were claimed to be a greater attraction to clients largely due their higher visibility from the beach. This is supported by an analysis of 2001 logbook data by Zandburg (2003). Boat-based whale watching itself was seen largely as a secondary supporting income to trips based more on adventure activities and dolphin-viewing. An application was apparently made for Area 20 in 2004 by a previously disadvantaged owner of a local fishing and pleasure charter who had been active in the area for the past 21 years. The application was supported by the existing permit holder in Area 21. No response was ever received on this application and its current status is unknown. This potential applicant viewed whale watching, and pleasure boat trips as a having a good chance of success due to the recent upgrading of facilities around the launch site at Ramsgate but was unwilling to participate in illegal activities. There is thus also concern about an apparent lack of transparency in the allocation of permits. Non-permitted activity Nine seasonally-active non-permitted operators were identified in Area 21. These operators are typically fishing charters with varying degrees of dependence on sightseeing trips, ranging from opportunistic trips scheduled around quiet periods in fishing activity to more actively marketed pleasure trips. At least four of these marketed pleasure trips, with at least two actively advertising, through brochures or signage, the potential for whale-sightings. The importance of pleasure trips to overall annual income appears minimal, with whale watching representing a largely incidental activity during the season. The main demand appears to be for dolphin-viewing and scenic trips and not specifically for whale-viewing, although the potential for seeing whales is likely to add some attraction. Only one operator expressed any interest in potentially applying for a permit and could be described as the most active pleasure trip operator. In the northernmost part of Area 20, within KZN, at least two active non-permitted operators were identified. This does not include the above-mentioned permit applicant, who would only be interested in pursuing this activity if permission were granted. All operators interviewed expressed an interest in applying for the permit. The active operator currently offered pleasure trips with “incidental” whale sightings in season, but indicated that a large scope existed for marketing whale watching in the area. As with other non-permitted operators in the region, fishing charters were the main boat-based income-generating activity, although pleasure trips were more important during high seasons linked to South African holiday periods in April, December and July. The non-permitted operator in the area also indicated their potential interest in applying for a permit should sufficient success be shown by his business in offering various trips. The whale watching season was described as April to August in Area 20. Apart from reporting of non-permitted activity by the permit holder around the Shelly Beach area, no policing of regulations pertaining to boat-based whale watching was made along this stretch of coast and has allowed the development of numerous opportunistic and increasingly brazen non-permitted operators. As with the remainder of non-permitted activity in the country, it is extremely difficult to separate pleasure trip operators from legitimate (or illegitimate) boat-based whale watching operators where whale watching represents the main aim and a major part of the marketing for the trip. This is exacerbated by many operators claiming that dolphins, and not whales, were the main attraction on tours. As with many such claims, these could not be verified as research was conducted outside of the main whale watching season. Blatant advertising for whale-viewing, in the form of permanent wall murals as well as various pamphlets were viewed and support reports by the permit holder that whales probably play more of a role than most non-permitted operators will admit. Equipment and infrastructure The lack of appropriate mooring or harbour facilities in the region forces all operators to employ a surf-launch in order to access the ocean. This results in the majority of boats being limited to a maximum capacity of 12 passengers, including crew, severely restricting the ability of permit holders to cater to demand and thus adding one more factor which aids the proliferation of non-permitted activity. The lack of facilities at launching areas extends to a lack of appropriate central areas where 50
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BOAT-BASED WHALE WATCHING IN SOUTH
Page 6 and 7:
owners, who felt that a smaller, fa
Page 8 and 9: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION..
Page 10 and 11: 1. INTRODUCTION The whale watching
Page 12 and 13: the main whale watching season. All
Page 14 and 15: 3. WHALE WATCHING: AN INTERNATIONAL
Page 16 and 17: location. Most cetaceans spend the
Page 18 and 19: 3.2 South Africa in perspective Boa
Page 20 and 21: Table 3.3 excludes countries where
Page 22 and 23: west coast up to February or March
Page 24 and 25: The designated areas also include a
Page 26 and 27: 5. PERMIT-HOLDER CHARACTERISTICS, S
Page 28 and 29: The majority of permitted operators
Page 30 and 31: Two very large boats excluded, a ty
Page 32 and 33: November. This is probably due to a
Page 34 and 35: holder, with a total of just over 3
Page 36 and 37: Based on rack rates and the estimat
Page 38 and 39: 5.12 What determines success Based
Page 40 and 41: impact along the Garden Route, anot
Page 42 and 43: 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20
Page 44 and 45: 6.2 Western Cape The Western Cape P
Page 46 and 47: Equipment and infrastructure The fu
Page 48 and 49: around 30 to 35 passengers were per
Page 50 and 51: advertising material which offered
Page 52 and 53: generally variable in their length,
Page 54 and 55: Non-permitted activity One dedicate
Page 56 and 57: Equipment, trip characteristics and
Page 60 and 61: visitors can be accommodated before
Page 62 and 63: Run on its way past Durban. Trips w
Page 64 and 65: Operators in Area 25 also offered d
Page 66 and 67: 6.5 Summary of legal and illegal ac
Page 68 and 69: 7. FUTURE POTENTIAL OF THE INDUSTRY
Page 70 and 71: Overall demand is heavily influence
Page 72 and 73: The most important enabling criteri
Page 74 and 75: The Cape Metro area is a major tour
Page 76 and 77: focused on harbour trips and until
Page 78 and 79: Wetland Park, Pondoland, the Greate
Page 80 and 81: 8.3 The permit system, conditions a
Page 82 and 83: Monitoring will also be vital for e
Page 84 and 85: 15. Data collected by operators and
Page 86 and 87: Woods-Ballard, A.J., Parsons, E.C.M
Page 88 and 89: 11. APPENDIX 2. SUMMARY OF COMMERCI
Page 90 and 91: used for whale watching must be acc
Page 92 and 93: Both the National and state governm
Page 94 and 95: effort to be controlled through res
Page 96 and 97: not is broached several times each
Page 98 and 99: 11.5 South America 11.5.1 Ecuador T
Page 100 and 101: The Dominican Republic has strict c
Page 102 and 103: 12. APPENDIX 3: NOTIFICATION OF PER
Page 104 and 105: 4. Applicants must be willing to si
Page 106 and 107: SIMONSTOWN AREA Cape Point Lighthou
Page 108 and 109:
PLETTENBERG BAY AREA The Western Bo
Page 110 and 111:
(iii) the extent to which the appli
Page 112 and 113:
Table I. Rating of the whale resour
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