Well managed, whale watching is a great public awareness vector and contributes to local economy
Launched in the Mediterranean Sea during summer 2014, the labeling program is to ensure the sustainability of the activity of whale watching which now includes, in France, 32 operators and rises every year by 3.2%.
From 7 to 9 April 2015, about 30 people, including the new staff of companies already labeled and new operators wishing to get involved in the process, will benefit from this unique training for whale watching operators.
With the National Park of Port-Cros support, the association Souffleurs d’écume organized the training that will be provided by 12 experts in marine ecology and Mediterranean cetaceans. The beneficiaries will have access to a formal quality certification in order to promote their virtuous approach: the label “High Quality Whale-Watching ».
Whale watching: a growing economic activity in the Mediterranean Sea
In the Mediterranean Sea, whale watching is the only economic activity that is directly dependent on the conservation status of cetaceans. Poorly managed, it can cause significant disruptions: intrusive approaches, aerial reconnaissance or swimming with whales are likely to seriously affect their populations. Well managed, whale watching is instead a great public awareness vector and contributes to the local economy.
In August 2014, France was the first of the 23 signatory countries of the ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Mediterranean cetaceans, Black Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area) to implement the quality label “High Whale-Watching Quality « .
Labelled operators must attend a training and comply with a set of scalable loads
Participatory, scalable and designed in close collaboration with involved operators, this institutional mechanism for continuous improvement, supported by ACCOBAMS, in partnership with the Pelagos Sanctuary, aims to environmental excellence. It goes far beyond mere compliance with a code of conduct for animal approach: certified operators must attend a training and undertake to comply with a set of evolving specifications. The particular approach ensures that the operator complies with the rules of approaches, offers natural interest outings, broadcasts a message of quality to passengers, prohibit swimming with whales, participates in research programs and sorting waste on board.
