Whale Watching Worldwide

Québec
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1998 505,000 N/A 75 $10,251,000 $66,684,000 $76,935,000
2008 567,161 1.12% 56 $19,510,214 $61,340,253 $80,850,467
Whale Watch Locations:
01: St. Lawrence River Estuary
02: Saguenay Fjord
Québec has the largest whale watching industry in Canada, based in
the St. Lawrence River Estuary and Gulf, where harbour porpoises,
minke, fin, humpback, and blue whales are regular visitors between
May and October. Sperm whales are also seen occasionally. Other
species are mostly observed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and rarely in
the Estuary – these include long‐finned pilot whales and Atlantic
white‐sided dolphins as well as rare sightings of orcas and the
endangered North Atlantic right whale. The threatened St.
Lawrence Beluga whale is a year‐round resident of the Estuary, but
is rarely targeted by operators due to strict regulations.
The industry has grown slowly since 1998; some observers suggest it may in fact have contracted in the last
few years. The decline in operator numbers in the figures above reflects different definitions of whale watch
operator rather than a particular decline in offerings to tourists. Some consolidation of the industry has
occurred, with larger companies buying some smaller operators.
The majority of dedicated whale watching in Québec takes place around the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord,
near the town of Tadoussac. Multiple ports of departure, proximity to urban centres, spectacular scenery
and whales being close to shore have made the area one of the most popular whale watching locations in
the world. The core whale watching area is covered by the Saguenay‐St. Lawrence Marine Park (1245 km 2 ),
administered jointly by Parks Canada and Parcs Québec.
A detailed Parks Canada estimate from 2005 suggests that over 274,000 people take part in commercial,
motorized, boat‐based whale watching in the Saguenay‐St. Lawrence Marine Park. Other whale watchers
are onboard private pleasure craft (13,200), cruise ships (132,194) and kayakers (over 45,000). A further
60,000 people took part in land‐based whale watching at various locations around the park, including
interpretive sessions at the Marine Discovery Centre. Studies undertaken by Parks Canada suggest that
land‐based whale watchers usually spend several days in the marine park and surrounding areas, going to
different locations and taking part in multiple activities. While fees are associated with some land‐based
viewing facilities, this is included as indirect expenditure in our calculations rather than direct expenditure.
Boat‐based whale watchers tend to come on day or overnight trips from Québec City or other major cities,
leading one Québec whale watch observer to describe the local industry as ‘the fast food of whale watching’.
Tadoussac industry insiders refute this, claiming that great efforts have been made to enhance the quality of
whale watching in the Marine Park and surrounding area. Tourists are staying longer; 40% are still day
trippers, but the remaining 60% spend an average of 3.2 nights in the area. A Parks Canada representative
felt it was time to put aside the ‘fast food of whale watching’ label ‘because it does not reflect the new
reality which has moved towards more of a “slow food” approach, with higher quality and more time spent
in the area even if there are still day‐trippers’.
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