Whale Watching Worldwide

late 1990s when improved technology and boat engines saw hunting increase to unsustainable levels. In
1997 a programme to develop whale watching tourism as an alternative income source for the island was
begun by WWF Philippines, government agencies and donors. Within one year of the beginning of the
programme, the national government banned all hunting of cetaceans and whale sharks, forcing the
islanders to rethink their livelihood.
The transition from whale hunting to whale watching was not smooth. Consultation with the local
community was inconsistent and tension rose on the island between pro‐hunting and pro‐tourism factions.
In recent years the majority of the island has come to endorse the tourism approach, as greater social and
financial gains can be made by developing tourism on the island than the short‐term benefits of trading the
meat and fins of large marine animals. A user fee system ($1) is being implemented to offset some of the
costs of tourism management and to operate a ticketing and booking system.
From Bais on Negros Oriental, several tour operators can organise boat trips to see pantropical spotted,
spinner and bottlenose dolphins. Trips can take up to 20 passengers and are usually accompanied by a
naturalist guide. Dolphins can be seen all year round, but operators focus on a March‐October season when
seas are calmer and weather is more favourable.
From Puerto Princesa on Palawan three diving and cruise companies have begun offering dedicated dolphin
watching trips from March to November. The half‐day boat trips encounter mainly spinner, pantropical
spotted, and Risso's dolphins and short‐finned pilot whales. Dolphin watching is being supported by an
NGO, Bantay Kalikasan and the Puerto Princesa government.
Irrawaddy dolphins can be watched in the Malampaya Sound, where the Taytay local government, WWF‐
Philippines and the department of tourism promote community‐based tourism. To date, this site has
attracted only small numbers of tourists due to its geographical isolation. The population of the Irrawaddy
is, however, reaching dire levels.
Another site under development is in Calayan, Cagayan Province in northern Luzon. The area has the only
known breeding ground for humpback whales in the Philippines, and a community‐based ecotourism project
is being developed by the Centre for Rural Empowerment and the Environment.
In other parts of the country, resorts run optional marine mammal interactions from Cagayan and Batangas
in the north, to Masbate, Romblon, Cebu and down to Cagayan and Davao in the south of the country.
Main species: Large cetaceans:
Bryde’s whale, sperm whale
Small cetaceans:
bottlenose dolphin, Fraser’s dolphin, melon‐
headed whale, pantropical spotted dolphin,
Risso’s dolphin, short‐finned pilot whale,
spinner dolphin
Tourists:
International 65%
Domestic 35%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, half‐day or shorter trips
Average adult ticket price: $32
Estimated employment
175
numbers:
Main whale watch season:
Dolphins can be seen year‐round at
Pamilacan, while Bryde’s whales are seen
from February to May and sperm whales from
149