Costa Rican Whale Watching Industry
Celebrates First Whale and Dolphin Festival
To promote whale
and dolphin conservation as well as
responsible ecotourism, Humane Society
International will participate in the First
Costa Rican Whale and Dolphin Festival at
the Costa Rican Pacific locality of Bahía Uvita Sept. 4-6.
HSI is a member of the
Costa Rican Whale Coalition, which organized
the event.
“The goal of this festival is to continue to
increase the level of preparedness of tour
operators and to guarantee the economic
sustainability of whale watching activities,
as well as to engage the general public
about the importance of protecting these
animals,” said Jennifer Dinsmore, director
of HSI Latin America.
Responsible whale and dolphin watching
provides humane, sustainable and
economically viable alternatives for coastal
communities faced with the decline of
small-scale fisheries due to over-fishing.
According to a recent study, 12,592 tourists
visited the park to take part on whale
watching tours in 2007, generating us$755,520
from ticket purchases.
This festival will feature cultural
activities, concerts, tours of the park,
informational stands from various
organizations and whale watching tours.
Management of Parque Nacional Marino Ballena
and the Asociación de Operadores de Turismo
en el Parque Nacional Marino Ballena de Osa
with support from the Coalición
Costarricense por las Ballenas also
organized the event.
HSI will also help finance the event and
staff the coalition’s information booth.
Facts:
· Parque Nacional Marino Ballena was created
in 1987 to protect reproduction sites of the
humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as
well as coral reefs. In addition to whales,
bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and spotted
(Stenella attenuata) dolphins are commonly
seen there. The park is also home to many
other species of wildlife such as the queen
conch (Strombus gigas), the brown booby (Sula
leucogaster), the brown pelican (Pelecanus
occidentales) and the magnificent
frigatebird (Fregata magnifiscens).
· Parque Nacional Marino Ballena currently
sustains a thriving marine tourism industry
centered on whale and dolphin watching. In
Costa Rica, whale and dolphin watching
generates more than $5 million of direct
revenue annually as a result of more than
105,000 visitors.
· In 1946, the International Whaling
Commission established rules to conserve
whale populations and to regulate whaling.
In 1986, the IWC implemented a moratorium on
commercial whaling. Despite this ban, the
countries of Japan, Norway and Iceland
continue to kill whales for commercial
purposes.
· The Coalición Costarricense por las
Ballenas, created in 2006 with the goal of
lobbying for the return of Costa Rica to the
IWC, currently includes 15 international and
local organizations and more than 1,000
individuals through an Internet network.
Following a 23-year absence, Costa Rica
rejoined the Commission in 2007. HSI – Latin
America is a member of the Coalición
Costarricense por las Ballenas and actively
participates in its activities.
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