Management of Dusky Dolphin Tourism at Bkaikoura, New Zealand

The desire to view and interact with animals in their natural environment has driven strong growth of cetacean-based tourism since its inception in California in the 1950s. After years of steady growth in the US, the economic potential of the cetacean-watching tourism industry was recognized worldwide (see Chapter 1). In the early years of the industry, cetacean-based tourism developed with little or no management, regulation or oversight (Hoyt, 2008). Legislation to protect cetaceans was often designed to limit the effects of whaling and harpoons, not tourism boats and cameras. Perhaps as a consequence, little consideration was given to the effects of tourism on the target species. It was perceived to be less harmful than the alternative, and therefore additional protection was not needed (O’Connor et al., 2009).