Do the whale-watching boats disturb whales?

In the St. Lawrence Estuary, nearly 50 whale-watching boats transport over 300 000 tourists onto the Estuary every year to encounter whales. Fin whales, blue whales, humpback whales and minke whales are the main target species of this industry. Do whale-watching boats disturb whales?

To go through the looking glass

Between 1994 and 1996, researchers tracked a total of 25 fin whales with the help of VHF transmitters. They studied the movements of these animals in three dimensions and compared their behaviour patterns in relation to the number of boats present. In 2002 they began the same project on a species newly classified on the endangered species list: the blue whale. To date, six blue whales have been tracked using radio transmitters.

In short :     

The fact that fin whales alter their diving behaviour in the presence of a large number of boats could have a negative impact on their ability to feed. The results of this study reveal the necessity of reducing concentrations of boats on whale-watching sites. This recommendation was used to elaborate the Marine Activities Regulations, in force in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park as of 2002. The analysis of blue whale radio-tracking bouts is underway. Further tracking will be carried out in coming field seasons.

News from the field

Progress report: Underwater tracking of blue whales and beluga whales (2004)

Tracking 100 tonnes under water (2004)

Progress Report: Radio Tracking (2003)

Blue Whales in 3D (2003)

On the Back of a Blue Whale (2002)

Project collaborators:

Robert Michaud and Janie Giard, of GREMM and Véronique Lesage, Maurice-Lamontagne Institute

Partners:

The Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, Parks Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune du Québec and Croisières AML Cruises.

Other research projects