Case Study - Network for Business Sustainability

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Engaging the Community: A Knowledge Project Figure 1: Range Map of Southern Resident Killer Whales (Ford, Ellis & Balcomb (2000)) During the mid 1960s, after the first census, the population of southern resident killer whales was estimated at 100 (Wiles, 2004). Since 1973 the Centre for Whale Research has taken an annual census and has identified three notable declines. The first occurred between 1967 and 1973 when killer whales were regularly captured for aquariums leading to a 30% reduction in their numbers. The second, a decline of 12%, took place between 1980 and 1984. The third happened between 1996 and 2000 with a further decline in the numbers of adults and juveniles of 12.8%. Although conclusive evidence of the cause or causes of these declines is not yet available 1 , some researchers have attributed this to a variety of human activities such as dredging in Puget Sound, shoreline development, increased pollution, factory ship trawling, excavation of the sea floor and global climate change. Other studies have suggested that declines in the killer whale population may be attributable to a decline in the availability of chinook salmon, a principal food source for killer whales, 1 For further details on the scientific evidence on the decline of killer whales, see Taylor & Platter, 2001 and Baird, 1999. 4
Engaging the Community: A Knowledge Project and high concentrations of toxins such as PCB’s and DDT in waters inhabited by southern resident killer whales. Another possible factor in the population decline that has been identified recently is whale watching. As the volume of this activity has increased so have concerns about possible whale disturbance impacts which may threaten their conservation. The Effects of Whale Watching Research on the ecological impacts on whales is increasing, but the findings are mixed 2 . Some researchers have interpreted certain behavioural changes in whales as signs of stress, including increased swim speeds, longer dive times, changes in swim patterns, and surface-active behaviours. Other researchers have noted that when boats are present, whale behaviour is so variable that no unequivocal signs of behaviour changes can be determined. Although numerous short-term whale behavioural responses to the presence of touring vessels have been documented, “no study has yet demonstrated any long-term adverse effects of whale watching on the health of the killer whale populations in the northeastern Pacific” (Trites & Bain, 2000, p. 2). Some researchers have suggested that the studies which purport to identify behavioural changes have serious methodological problems and questionable validity. Others have noted that the resident whale populations have shown strong site fidelity to their traditional summer ranges despite more than 25 years of whale watching activity. Because of the lack of clarity between cause and effect, Baird (1999) suggests that a precautionary management approach should be used. In 1997 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) recognized that precautionary measures in whale watching were necessary to avoid negative impacts to whales and other cetaceans and to promote their survival. The Oceans Act of Canada reflects this same view and advocates an integrated management approach based on sustainability and precautionary strategies. The precautionary approach shifts the onus of proof in relation to the environmental effects of human activity. It requires that the exploitation of a resource proceed no faster than knowledge about the impact of the exploitation, which suggests caution to avoid environmental harm, when the research as to cause and effect is unclear. The precautionary approach involves a balance between the assessment of the risks associated with a given action and the need to act. Rules and regulations governing whale watching activities that reflect a precautionary approach have been effective in many of the places where whale watching occurs. Such regulations frequently include the minimization of vessel speeds, avoidance of abrupt changes in speed, direction or noise, minimization of noise, avoidance of pursuit, and the avoidance of encirclement or the splitting of groups. They also include specifying appropriate approach angles and length of exposure, considering cumulative impacts on the animals from numerous vessels, and allowing whales to control the nature and duration of the interaction with a whale watching vessel. For sustainable management of the killer whales, long term research is needed, and researchers have encouraged the commercial whale watching industry and private boaters to contribute to recording and 2 See Erbe 2002; Trites & Bain, 2000; Williams, Bain, Ford & Trites, 2002 5
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Case Study - Network for Business Sustainability

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