Whale Watching Worldwide

Main species: Large cetaceans:
gray whale, blue whale, humpback whale
Small cetaceans:
long‐beaked common dolphin, short‐beaked
common dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, Pacific
white‐sided dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, Dall’s
porpoise
Tourists:
International 10%
Domestic 90%
Types of tours: Boat‐based, day trips
Average ticket price: Varies significantly between regions
2 to 3hr trips cost anywhere from $10 to $50
Day trips may cost between $80 and $125
Estimated employment
600
numbers:
Main whale watch season: December to May (gray whales)
May to December (blue whales)
May to November (humpback whales)
Year‐round (dolphins and other small
cetaceans)
Acknowledgements:
Bernardo Alps (American Cetacean Society), Birgit Winning (Oceanic Society), John Arnold and Christopher Knoll (Parks
California), and all of the operators, tourism bureaus and Chambers of Commerce who assisted with this research.
References:
Leeworthy, VR, Wiley, PC, Stone, EA, 2005, Socioeconomic Impact Analysis of Marine Reserve Alternatives for the
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, October 7, 2005.
Hoyt, E 2008, ‘Whale watching’, Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 2nd Edition (Perrin, W.F., B. Würsig and J.G.M.
Thewissen, eds.) Academic Press, San Diego, CA., pp. 1219‐1223.
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