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Whale watching in Latin America is increasing significantly despite a slowing in growth worldwide. For example, in 1998 Costa Rica had only three whale watching companies. This expanded by 1400% to more than 50 in 2004.
In 2004, Fundacion Cethus� Whale Watching Training Workshop for Central America showed marine ecotourism to be the best option for both local communities and the conservation of cetaceans. This creates incentives for governing bodies to protect these migratory animals in national and international waters.
Global Ocean co-funds these Whale Watching Workshops to promote the benign use of whales.
Fundacion Cethus and WDCS (the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) believe that whale watching workshops demonstrate the importance of protecting whales and dolphins. Since 1998, they have been developing a joint programme through Latin America and Spain, and since 2006 supported by Global Ocean. Over the past two years, Fundacion Cethus has run highly successful whale watching workshops in Panama (Panama city and Bocas del Toro), Guatemala (Guatemala city) and Nicaragua (Managua and San Juan del Sur). Fundacion Cethus works with local communities, particularly local fishermen, at their request, since these communities are looking for economical alternatives following the collapse of coastal fish stocks. Fundacion Cethus helps such communities to develop responsible whale watching activities and, at the same time, to protect whales and dolphins. Each workshop is supported by the host government. In March 2007, Fundacion Cethus ran a whale watching workshop in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, involving 30-40 participants, including many fishermen. The participants shared experiences and were very enthusiastic to learn more about cetaceans, and a follow-up workshop is planned shortly. Similar activities are planned in Venezuela, Panama and Chile. |
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The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international charity based in London, with regional offices in Seattle and Sydney. Founded in 1997 it works to change the way in which the seas are fished. It seeks to reverse the decline in world fish stocks, to deliver improvements in marine conservation worldwide and to help safeguards the livelihoods of people involved in the seafood industry. The MSC uses a unique fisheries certification and eco-label programme to help transform the market for seafood to operation on a sustainable basis. The MSC eco-label is a signal for consumers that the fish and seafood products they are purchasing come from a sustainable source. It helps retailers to demonstrate that they are selling material from suppliers that care about sustainability. And it helps fishers to show that they are managing their fishery in a way that preserves fish stocks and protects the environment in which they work. Using the MSC certification and eco-label programme is the way in which a global fishing industry embracing sustainable practices and healthy productive marine eco-systems can be secured for the future. It is vital that they should.
This relatively small organisation with an annual income of about £3 million is tackling the large task of encouraging fishers to fish in a sustainable way and consumers to eat fish from sustainable fisheries. The eco-labelling and fishery certification system it operates, provides an easy, independent, science-based method to identify fish and fish products from a sustainable source in a way that no government action does. Global Ocean gives them some unconditional funding per year but recognizes that this organisation needs a lot more funds than it has. The Marine Stewardship Council receives no government funding. Despite this, MSC is galloping from strength to strength: up to around 1,500 labelled products worldwide and just about to announce the 100th fishery in the programme! |
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Global Ocean funded a 3 day meeting of whale conservation experts held in Paciano, Umbria, home to Dr Sidney Holt, and former home of David McTaggart, co-founder of Greenpeace International.
Here, campaigners in the whale-field discussed ways forward in terms of winning back the whales in a war we’re currently losing from whaling.
In fact, the first international treaty to recognise the future interests of beneficiaries is the International Whaling Commission or I.W.C. One of its remits, as mentioned in its 1946 Preamble, is to, “safeguard whales for future generations”.
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Dr Roger Payne is a person who believes that whales are one reason why life on this planet is worth saving. He’s been awarded the Third Dawkins Prize for Animal Conservation and Welfare and has just given a bleak but truthful picture about the whales he’s dedicated his life’s work to, at an audience in Oxford, titled: “Winning Battles and Losing the War.” Dr Payne and his scientific crew have proved that man-made chemicals have penetrated the marine food chain to dangerous degrees. As one billion people depend on food from the sea the health of our ocean determines also their health, our health. Dr Payne is trying to raise awareness of this issue which urgently needs addressing by decision-makers. |
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