Whale and Dolphin Conservation, WDC, announces the release of their report “Whale Watching: More than Meets the Eyes”. While previous studies have focused on the economic benefits of commercial whale watching, this is the first study to document the potential long term conservation benefits that may result from responsible whale watching experiences. More than 1,000 passengers boarding whale watching vessels in Massachusetts participated in a three part survey to determine whether the information a passenger received during a whale watch made them aware of the ocean’s vulnerability and, as a result, increased their awareness of how their own behavior impacts the marine environment. Participants were also asked if specific vessel operational guidelines and training programs were considered important to them. In general, whale watchers did not appear to know how to support marine mammal conservation before their tour started. A significant change was observed after the trip, where respondents indicated they became aware of how to support marine mammal conservation and became more worried about the health of the marine environment. Further, they believed that their own decisions, like the use of cleaning products used in their households, can negatively affect the marine environment. According to the survey, the most important aspect to the whale watchers was having the boat maintain a safe distance from the whales and knowing that the boat was following guidelines, which was regarded as being more important than being as close to the whales as possible. Knowing that the naturalist and captain receiving specialized whale watch training was also considered to be very important to survey participants. The 114 page report was conducted as part of a graduate project through the North American office of Whale and Dolphin Conservation and was funded by a grant from NOAA’s Fisheries Northeast Region Program Office, Award Number NA11NMF4720240. Download the report at http://bit.ly/126LFoz For specific inquiries regarding the report, please contact Michel Harms (michel.harms@whales.org<mailto:michel.harms@whales.org>) [WDC - Whale and Dolphin Conservation]<http://www.whales.org/> Regina Asmutis-Silvia Executive Director, NA Telephone: +1 508 746 2522 Mobile: +1 508 451 3853 Skype: wdcs.na WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation 7 Nelson Street Plymouth MA 02360-4044 United States whales.org<http://whales.org> [WDC on Facebook]<http://www.facebook.com/whales.org> [WDC on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/WHALES_org> [WDC on YouTube] <http://www.youtube.com/wdcsuk> [WDC Blogs] <http://whales.org/en/blog> [WDC E-Newsletter] <http://whales.org/en/newsletter> [http://www.wdcs.co.uk/media/images/EmailSignatureImages/Campaigns/WDCSchanged.png]<http://www.whales.org/wdc.php> ________________________________ Whale and Dolphin Conservation (“WDC”), Inc. is an IRS recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. WDC, 7 Nelson Street, Plymouth, MA 02360-4044 Tel: +1 (508) 746-2522 This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. Finally, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The company accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. ________________________________