Whale Watching

The practice of observing whales, dolphins and porpoises, collectively called cetaceans, in their natural habitat, pursued mainly for recreation but also for scientific and educational purposes; a 2009 study estimated that some 13 million people went whale watching worldwide that year, generating about 2.1 billion dollars in tourism revenue and employing roughly 13,000 people. Organized whale watching began in the United States at Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego in 1950, when gray whale migration drew ten thousand visitors in its first year, with boat-based trips following five years later at a dollar a ticket; the Montreal Zoological Society brought commercial whale watching to the St. Lawrence River in 1971, and by 1985 New England, thanks to its dense population of humpback whales known for dramatic breaching, was drawing more whale watchers than California. Growth continued after the mid-1980s, and by 2008 organized whale watching operated in 119 countries, generating direct revenue of about 872.7 million dollars.