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Abstract
Visitor perceptions of the impacts of cetacean-based tourism from land-based and boat-based platforms are not well understood. Data from on-site surveys (n=633) and observational data were obtained at boat and land-based whale viewing platforms in the San Juan Islands, USA during the summer of 2000. Whale watchers at both platforms expressed concerns regarding adverse impacts on whales due to whale watching activities. Land-based whale watchers, however, were significantly more concerned about the presence of boats disturbing not only the whales, but also their own experiences. In particular, the noise and maneuvering of whale-watching boats were identified as issues of concern. The findings suggest that site-specific strategies for managing whale watching are necessary. Possible strategies include limiting the number of boats and the frequency and duration of boat interactions with whales. Furthermore, platform-specific visitor education programs may be useful for helping to address viewers’ concerns.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Brian Niven (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago) who contributed to the analysis of data presented in this article, and the valuable comments provided by the editor and reviewers of this manuscript.