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Description of CARIBwhale, Inc (Association of Caribbean Whale Watch Operators)
Increasingly, people around the world are enjoying whale watching and this rapid worldwide growth over the past decade has been widely reported in the literature. A 2000 review of the industry worldwide illustrates its spectacular growth and estimated the worldwide economic impact derived from whale-watching activities at U.S. $1 billion per annum with almost 100 countries or territories and nearly
500 communities involved in whale watching. In 1988, commercial whale-watching started in the eastern Caribbean with tours to see sperm whales and various dolphins off Dominica. In 1991, 1,914 people went whale-watching in the greater Caribbean, spending about $1.7 million in total expenditures, but by 1994, 18,700 whale watchers spent $6.6 million. A preliminary report on whale-watching in 2005 cited St. Lucia as the fastest growing country in the Caribbean with over 30,000 persons going whale-watching
followed by countries like Dominica (20,000), Grenada (20,000) and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (1,300), for a combined estimate of over USD22 million in total expenditures.
At a time when whale-watching is being hailed as a major source of foreign exchange revenue, as a niche market for various islands in the eastern Caribbean that are marketing ecotourism, and as a sustainable economic and livelihood alternative for coastal communities, a number of individuals interested in the promotion of responsible whale-watching as an opportunity for sustainable coastal development
and as a livelihood alternative for coastal peoples conceived the idea for the formation of a group with a focus on whale conservation through whale-watching. This has led to the founding of the Association of Caribbean Whale Watch Operators (CARIBwhale, Inc) in 2006.
CARIBwhale, Inc was established and registered as a non-profit, umbrella membership organization in the Commonwealth of Dominica. The current membership comprises of more than 15 Caribbean whale-watching organizations in the Wider Caribbean Region from Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, and St.
Vincent and the Grenadines. CARIBwhale, Inc operates on the basis of alliances with like-minded organizations, and intends to maintain close working relations with a wide range of regionally and international organizations and governments.
To this end CARIBwhale’s mission is defined as:
To foster an environment that will protect cetaceans and their habitat in the Caribbean, promoting responsible whale watching, supporting non-invasive scientific whale research, conservation, education and advocacy.
The affairs of CARIBwhale, Inc are managed by a president and coordinator, with guidance from a Board of Directors. The Board comprises the President (Mr. Andrew Armour, Anchorage Whale Watch Dive Center, Dominica), Vice- President (Mr. Paul Hackshaw, Hackshaw Boat Charters, St. Lucia), Secretary (Mrs Kim Halbich, Fantasea Tours, St. Vincent & Grenadines), Treasurer (Ms Kim Beddall, Whale Semana,
Dominican Republic) and Public Relations (Mr. Derek Perryman, Dive Dominica).
Goals and Strategies
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To empower local communities and stakeholders for responsible development of whale-watching and management of their natural resources
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To promote community based whale-watching through engagement with the fisheries sector and coastal communities
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To ensure that opportunities within the whale-watching sector are broadened to create benefits for more people
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To support non-invasive scientific whale research, conservation, education and advocacy
Objectives
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Establishing certification for whale-watch tour operators and whale watch tour guides
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Conducting training programs for whale and dolphin watching tour guides and naturalists
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Creation of employment opportunities by engagement with the private sector hotels and other tourism entities
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Development of codes of conduct and best practices for whale-watching
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Marketing the Eastern Caribbean as a pristine area for watching whales and dolphins
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