Watching marine mammals from boats or shore can disturb resting, feeding, and nursing behaviour. Evidence-based guidelines protect animals while enabling meaningful wildlife encounters.
Marine mammal watching welfare depends on maintaining appropriate distance and behaviour around animals. Seals at pupping beaches that are approached by humans abandon pups, causing starvation and death. Dolphins that surface regularly in predictable locations attract repeated vessel approaches that cumulatively change their behaviour. Orcas studied in the Salish Sea spend significantly less time foraging in the presence of whale watching vessels. The welfare-positive wildlife encounter is one where animals are observed without any change in their natural behaviour. This is achievable with appropriate distance, engine management, and time limits - producing better experiences for both animals and observers.