article Article on new regulations for whale watching / swimming in French Polynesia

[bghazzal]

Whales ‘relentlessly pestered’: tourism boom sparks new rules in French Polynesia
Caps on the number of boats allowed to approach whales among measures to be introduced while experts say restrictions don’t go far enough

Extract:

Whale-watching tourism generates over $2bn in revenue, according to the International Whaling Commission – and the Pacific industry is growing. In French Polynesia, the number of certified whale-based tourism operators rose from 60 in 2023, to 90 in 2024, according to Tahiti Tourism.

But their growth has raised concerns over the potential harm to the animals. In April, a report by French Polynesia’s government said “increasing pressure on whales from human activities poses a considerable risk to these fragile animals.” It said due to the rising number of whale-based tourism operators, “cetaceans can be relentlessly pestered throughout the day.”

In response, French Polynesia plans to introduce new rules to reduce risks to whales, but some in the industry say they don’t go far enough.
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In 2025, French Polynesia will tighten some regulations for whale-based tourism. It will introduce a quota, with only three boats permitted to approach a whale at the same time. It will restrict whale-watching operators to one boat for each company, and private boats will have to stay at least 300m away.
 

But in a move that seems at odds with improving protections, divers will be able to swim closer to whales from next year, when the current limit of 30m from the mammals will be dropped to 15m. The government says the new limit still means swimmers will be a “safe distance” away.

“The reality on the ground shows that at 30m you can’t see much, and the animal often approaches out of curiosity anyway. But it’s still important to keep a safe distance, which we’ve set at 15m,” says Fanny Martre, spokesperson for the environment department.
 

Dr Mark Orams specialises in marine tourism and studied whale-based tourism in Tonga. He says allowing swimmers to get within 15m of a humpback whale is “dangerous.”

“These whales are 15 metres in length. You get within 15 metres and you are in immediate proximity of their biggest weapon which is their tail … I would be really concerned if there were approaches at that sort of length,” says Dr Orams.
 

He adds that we probably shouldn’t be swimming with whales – especially not with mothers and their calves. In a study he co-authored, researchers found that swimming with whales had a negative effect on the behaviour of mothers and calves in Tonga.

Full article here:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/29/french-polynesia-whale-tours-changes-tourism

Edited October 29 by bghazzal