A new, five-day whale watch tour guide training workshop, sponsored by IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) and CARIBwhale, the association of Caribbean whale watch operators, is being held in Dominica.

"The main focus of the course is to provide participants with the skills necessary to safely and effectively conduct successful whale and dolphin watching excursions," said Dr. Joth Singh, Trinidad-born Director of Wildlife and Habitat Protection at IFAW.

Whale watching in Caribbean nations has the potential to be as successful as the industry in some Pacific Island nations. Recent IFAW research has shown the important contribution that whale watching tourism makes to the economies of Island nations. In 2005, whale and dolphin watching contributed over USD$21million to the Pacific economy. Tonga once had was a thriving whaling industry, but now there is a multi-million dollar whale watching industry demonstrating that whales are worth far more alive than dead.

In light of these success stories, IFAW's Pacific Officer Olive Andrews is participating to share the experiences and lesson's learned by Pacific nations, with the Caribbean whale watching industry.

"Whale watching is a win-win solution for whales and people in the Caribbean, bringing terrific economic opportunities to these coastal communities as it has done for many Pacific Island nations. It's the 21st century alternative to whaling...—a truly sustainable use of whales," Miss Andrews said.

"There is tremendous potential for growth in the whale watching industry in the Caribbean, as part of the global interest in eco-tourism. We are opening up opportunities not only to individuals currently involved in whale watch tour guiding but also to fishermen and to young people who could join the industry. The intent is to ensure that opportunities within the whale watching sector are broadened to create benefits for more people," Dr Singh said.

The workshop, which runs from 14-18 May, includes residents of Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada and the Dominican Republic, as most of these countries have growing whale watch industries.

The workshop will cover topics including whale biology, species of the Caribbean, as well as global threats to whales. Working sessions will include discussion and development of draft whale watching guidelines for the region. Research sessions will introduce the latest in non-lethal science including acoustic technology, genetic sampling and photo ID data collection.

Sessions onboard a whale watching boat will include instruction and practice using hydrophone technology, which is used to locate whales based on their sounds, as well as sessions on identifying whales, and whale and dolphin behavior.

"By providing an exceptional whale watch experience to visitors in the Caribbean, we can do our part to promote tourism here," said Mr. Andrew Armour, President of CARIBwhale. "Whale watching helps the whole tourism economy, with whale watchers contributing economically through hotels, shops, restaurants and transportation." IFAW, 16/05/07