Trends in the Whalewatch Industry on Stellwagen Bank and Environs
William
Rumage's assessment of the economic value of the whale watching industry
on Stellwagen Bank (Rumage 1990) was based primarily on data from 1985,
and to a lesser extent, the late 1980's. At that time, almost all Massachusetts
Bay whale watching activity was concentrated on Stellwagen, the habitat
of most of the region's whales. Rumage estimated that during the mid
to late 1980's, approximately 1.1 million people visited Stellwagen
Bank annually, on approximately 6000 yearly whale watching trips. The
home ports of the whale-watching business were more or less equally
divided between north, central, and south coastal locations: about one-third
of the activity was based in Gloucester, one-third in Boston and Plymouth
combined, and one third in Provincetown. Based on average cruise tour
prices of $20.00 each, Rumage estimated that 1990 ticket receipts alone
would generate $17 million annual revenue. He offered no estimates of
secondary consumer impacts. Bowen et al. (1993) estimate that the minimum
gross annual benefit from whale watching, based on revenues generated,
is $23 million. It is thought that the "non-use" value of
whales in the Massachusetts Bays system accounts for an additional $25
million (Bowen et al., 1993).
In 1994,
Massachusetts Bay continues to support a very active whale watching
industry. The basic structure and operation of the industry continue
as they were described by Rumage (1990), although the industry has expanded
some, especially in Boston. Gloucester has four operations, Boston five,
Plymouth one, Barnstable one, and Provincetown four. In Gloucester and
Provincetown, several operations have multiple boats. To the north,
Newburyport, Salem, Portsmouth/Rye Harbor, and Bar Harbor, Maine each
have one or more active operations. Few of the boats involved are devoted
exclusively to whale-watching, however. Most of the operators throughout
the Bay, regardless of location, at times use their boats for other
purposes, such as fishing, sightseeing, or commuter transportation (Wright
1994).
In addition
to these commercial boats a large fleet of smaller private craft, dubbed
by operators "the mosquito fleet," follow commercial whale-watching
boats, or otherwise seek out whales independently (Avellar 1994). While
the number of people transported to whale-watching areas by such boats
are probably quite small, the number of craft involved is not. As many
as forty of these boats can be on or near Stellwagen Bank at a time.
Commercial operators report occasional problems with these boats; they
sometimes crowd cetaceans, and can cause navigational hazards for the
larger vessels.
The basic
tour schedule of most commercial boats is similar to that described
by Rumage. For most operations, the cruise season begins in April, with
one daily trip through June. School groups are the main market during
this time. During July and August the season peaks; operators generally
offer two trips per boat daily, carrying a generalized tourist market.
In September and in October until Columbus Day, one daily trip on weekends
is the norm. Not only seasonal demand, but variable weather conditions
as well, affect the frequency of voyages. Most boats carry 150-250 passengers
when full, and make half-day trips of four or five hours.
Almost
all boat trips in the Bay carry a naturalist on board, to interpret
marine life for the public and to collect and record data on sightings.
Organizations such as the Center for Coastal Studies, the Center for
Cetacean Research, the New England Aquarium, the Marine Mammal Research
Center, the Whale Conservation Institute, the Cetacean Research Unit,
and the Atlantic Cetacean Research Center, among others, have regular
collaborations with specific whale-watch operators. The New England
Aquarium in Boston runs its own non-profit operation. Most scientific
research on cetaceans, in fact, depends on the commercial whale-watch
industry to act as a platform (Frohock 1994). Though this is generally
a cost-effective method for data collection (Wright 1994), some individuals
connected with the industry have noted that there is no central coordination
or registry for data collected, that data is of uneven quality, and
that duplication of efforts is a common occurrence, since different
boats are often observing the same whales.
As this
eco-tourism industry matures and diversifies, whale-watching is becoming
increasingly incorporated into broader tourism packages that are offered
to the public. Typically hotels, educational organizations, whale-watch
operations, and travel agencies make joint arrangements (Carter 1994).
One example is the collaboration between the Center for Coastal Studies,
the Provincetown Inn, and Provincetown's Dolphin Fleet, which offer
a broad educational tour package to school groups, including transportation,
an overnight hotel stay, shore-side recreation, and classroom lectures,
as well as a whale-watching cruise (Evans 1994). Another innovation
by Gloucester's Yankee Fleet involves an overnight cruise as part of
the trip; passengers sleep on the boat after a port call in Nantucket
(Colby 1994). In Gloucester, beach and museum visits, as well as hotel
accommodations, are often packaged together with whale watching, which
still remains the centerpiece of the tourism draw (Colby 1994). Packages
are more important to the market in the off-peak spring and fall periods.
Audiences for whale watching continue to include groups of school-aged
children, young adults, family groups and, increasingly, foreign tourists.
Most operators estimate that the majority of those taking trips are
first-timers, although repeaters account for a substantial minority
of passengers; some estimate almost half (Avellar 1994).
Figures
from the New England Whale-Watching Association (MacDonald 1994), a
trade group for operators, show that during 1992 - the latest
year for which data are available - approximately 1.5 million people
took whale watching cruises in the New England region, generating $23
million in direct ticket revenue, with another $32 million in indirect
expenses, for hotels, meals, souvenirs and the like. Overall consumer
impact is estimated at $78 million for 1992 (MacDonald 1994). The amount
of whale-watching in New England surpasses that of the entire west coast
of the United States and Hawaii combined. The Association estimates
that 48.3% of all whale-watching in the U.S., and 39.2% of all world
activity, takes place in New England (MacDonald 1994). The region still
continues to be the "golden crescent" of whale-watching described
by Rumage (1990).
During
the 1993 season, according to the operators' trade group, patronage
increased by 5-10% over the previous year, but 1994 saw a 15-20% decline
in business (MacDonald 1994). Most Massachusetts Bay operators confirm
the 1994 decline, noting that boats were not as full, reservation backlogs
have disappeared, and ticket prices have not increased for several years.
In fact, many operators are now offering discounts to lure passengers.
Some shore-side businesses that are linked to whale-watching, especially
ecology-related and whale souvenir shops, have also been reduced in
number and size as part of this downturn (Carter 1994).
Many
factors may be called upon to explain the 1994 decline. Some operators
suggest a possible saturation in the market for first-time passengers,
coupled perhaps with over-expansion of operations in recent years. The
most common explanation cited by the industry, however, is the recent
disappearance of humpback whales from Stellwagen Bank. A humorous nickname
now given to the area by some industry insiders, in fact, is "Stellwagen
Blank." Many members of the public demand to see humpbacks, which
are very popular on account of their contrastive coloration and dramatic
aquatic movements (Avellar 1994; Carter 1994). In 1994, Massachusetts
Bay humpbacks appeared to be congregating mostly on Jeffries Ledge well
to the north of Stellwagen. Others were feeding on George's Bank. These
sites are not accessible during a standard half-day trip from most of
the Massachusetts Bay whale-watch ports, with the exception of Gloucester.
From all ports, it seems, boats have had to range more widely in Massachusetts
Bay than usual. In addition to humpback visitations of Jeffries Ledge
observed by north shore and even Boston boats, Provincetown boats have
observed whales at Peaked Bars, off Race Point, and elsewhere in Massachusetts
Bay other than Stellwagen.
Other
operators and naturalists involved in the industry, however, discount
the humpback's "disappearance" as a factor that could hurt
the industry. They point out that other cetacean species are still present
on Stellwagen, including right, fin and minke whales, and that sightings
of these species were common in 1994, especially in the northwest and
southwest corners. Several observers report the public's high level
of satisfaction with sightings of these species, and with cruises in
general (Carter 1994; Colby 1994; Wright 1994). In addition, a few humpbacks
were sighted on or near Stellwagen Bank during the 1994 season. One
operator estimates that 80% of Massachusetts Bay whale watching continues
to take place on Stellwagen as of 1994 (Wright 1994), making the area
a significant magnet for the industry.
Note:
The 1996 whalewatch season has been described, after a very lean spring,
as "the best season for whalewatching since 1987." There are
significant numbers of humpbacks on the Bank in the Sanctuary, and the
signs are, at this point, that the remainder of the summer will be good
as well. What seems to be causing this favorable condition is that sand
lance, a favorite food of the humpback, are back on the Bank in large
numbers. A further analysis of this year will be posted here later in
the year. BWB/17 July, 1996
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