Whale Watching Worldwide

American Samoa
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 None N/A None None None None
1998 None N/A None None None None
2005 Minimal N/A Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
2008 Minimal 0% Minimal Minimal Minimal Minimal
Capital City: Pago Pago
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Fagatele Bay
American Samoa has a small tourism industry – around 6,000
visitors arriving each year by plane, and estimates of up to 10,000
more on cruise ships 28 – with no formal whale watching evident.
Some occasional land‐based viewing of humpback whales and
dolphins is reported to occur from Tutuila Island. A marine
protected area (MPA) has been established at Fagatele Bay (the
Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce) where humpbacks
are believed to visit and breed between August and October. Occasional cruises reportedly visit this area
and view cetaceans, but there was no regular whale watching activity evident.
Main species:
Tourists:
Large cetaceans:
humpback whale
International N/A
Domestic N/A
Types of tours: Occasional boat‐based tours to MPA
Average adult ticket price: N/A
Estimated employment
numbers:
None
Main whale watch season: August to October
Acknowledgements:
American Samoan Office of Tourism, National Park of American Samoa ‐ Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary
References:
Research for this country was taken from the Pacific Islands Whale Watch Tourism report undertaken by Economists at
Large for IFAW. 2008 data are a projection from 2005, remaining at an assumed minimal level of whale watch activity.
28 American Samoan Office of Tourism, pers. comm., & National Park of American Samoa, pers. comm., March 2006
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