Whale Watching Worldwide
Whale Watching Worldwide
Whale Watching Worldwide
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Farther north, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park off the coast of Port Douglas, unique swim‐with<br />
encounters with dwarf minke whales continue to be offered, with the industry having matured somewhat<br />
since 1998. Eight operators running trips in the region are now fully permitted to conduct swim‐with trips,<br />
generally offered between June and July or opportunistically as part of day or live‐aboard trips in the region.<br />
The area is the only known reliable aggregation site for dwarf minke whales and as such this is the only<br />
industry based on dwarf minke whales in the world. For more information, see the case study below.<br />
Opportunistic boat‐based whale watching occurs throughout the Great Barrier Reef. In 2003, these numbers<br />
were estimated annually at 60,000 tourists. No estimate of these numbers has been included in this study<br />
due to the unavailability of updated data. Following a review of operational policy and cetacean<br />
conservation by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), operators are no longer required<br />
to hold whale watching permits to undertake watching of cetaceans in this marine park. <strong>Whale</strong> watching<br />
operations are now managed through regulations rather than permits, as was the case in 2003.<br />
Main species: Large cetaceans:<br />
dwarf minke whale (subspecies of minke<br />
whale), humpback whale<br />
Small cetaceans:<br />
Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphin,<br />
Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphin<br />
Tourists:<br />
International 23%<br />
Domestic 77%<br />
Types of tours: Boat‐based, swim‐with, dolphin‐feeding,<br />
land‐based<br />
Average adult ticket price: $65<br />
Estimated employment<br />
216<br />
numbers:<br />
Main whale watch season: June to July (dwarf minke whales)<br />
July to November (humpback whales)<br />
Year‐round for dolphins<br />
Acknowledgements:<br />
Alastair Birtles, Natalie Stoeckl, Marina Farr, Arnold Mangott, Matthew Curnock and Peter Valentine at James Cook<br />
University, Anne Caillaud (GBRMPA), Peter Lynch (Blue Dolphin Marine Tours), Steve Somers (Dolphin Eco Tours),<br />
Anthony Arden (Gold Coast <strong>Whale</strong> <strong>Watching</strong> Pty. Ltd.), Anthony Muyt (Queensland EPA), Trevor Hassard (Tangalooma<br />
Island Resort), Bree Kloda (Redlands Tourism), Kirsten Wortel (Queensland EPA) and all other operators who kindly<br />
participated in our research.<br />
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