A. Species
Scientific name: Eschrichtius robustus
Common name(s): Gray whale
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Pacific - northeast
Country/Region: USA / Oregon
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Depoe Bay: Boiler Bay vs Port Orford
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2015
End Year: 2015
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Non-Extractive
Practice of use:
Lethal or non-lethal:
Does this use involve take/extraction of:
Purpose(s) of end use: Recreation
Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community), Largescale commercial exploitation for trade and Recreational
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and International external
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Larger whale-watching vessels disturbed whale searching behaviour relative to small (kayak) boat tours. Local stakeholders are changing practices based on this information to cause less disturbance to whales. Specifically, whales were significantly more likely to stop searching and switch to traveling when they encountered a vessel, but whales did not transition away from foraging behavior, indicating that the whales may tolerate potential vessel disturbance if foraging.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The practice of using large vessels to observe whales is measurably more disturbing than using small vessels.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although whale behaviour was affected, these impacts were not substantial, not driving whales away, and unlikely to affect whale success; however, the study engaged with local stakeholders to refine and improve local vessel operation guidelines.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: this study does not consider this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: this study does not consider this
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: this study does not consider this
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: this study does not consider this
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although whale behaviour was affected, these impacts were not substantial, not driving whales away, and unlikely to affect whale success; however, the study engaged with local stakeholders to refine and improve local vessel operation guidelines.
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Refine and improve local vessel operation guidelines. This community stakeholder group developed the Watch Out for Whales (WOW) guidelines that are intended for all boaters in Oregon waters. Whale-watch industry operators, who already adhere to NMFS West Coast guidelines, are well placed to act as advocates and lead by example in their implementation of these WOW guidelines. The study advocates that the intentional design of vessel operation guideline media to be easily understandable and attractive to a wide audience also expands the potential reach of this initiative. The research team believes that the whale-watch industry will benefit from the publicity and sustainability offered by the guidelines.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-11-16