Mustika, Putu Liza Kusuma, Birtles, Alastair, Everingham, Yvette, and Marsh, Helene (2015) Evaluating the potential disturbance from dolphin watching in Lovina, north Bali, Indonesia. Marine Mammal Science, 31 (2). pp. 808-817.

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Abstract

[Extract] A global review of tourist visitation and expenditures associated with whale and dolphin watching industries indicated that the industry attracted 13 million tourists in 119 countries and contributed US$ 2.1 billion to the global economy in 2008 (O'Connor et al. 2009). O'Connor et al. (2009) indicated that nine of the 10 countries with the fastest rate of whale and dolphin watching industries were developing countries.

Whale and dolphin watching is not without risks to targeted populations. In the short-term, the behavior of some dolphin species changes when the number of boats around a school increases (Lusseau 2003, Constantine et al. 2004, Christiansen et al. 2010). The presence of tour boats may alter the path of travel (Williams and Ashe 2007) and even force the animals to dive to avoid the boats (Schaffar et al. 2013). Interactions with dolphin watching boats may also decrease time spent foraging (Christiansen et al. 2013). In addition, dolphin watching may eventually partially displace the target population from key habitats, as demonstrated during a 19 yr research study in Shark Bay, Western Australia (Bejder et al. 2006).

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