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Whales are watched in over 119 countries and territories earning $2.1 billion in revenue, with large growth seen in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic has the largest whale-watching industry in the Caribbean. Although the industry thrives in the Dominican Republic, on-board education programs are lacking. Currently in Samaná Bay, only one of approximately 45 vessels offers a formal education program. In an effort to increase education and better tailor current education programs, a survey-based study was conducted to assess the conservation knowledge of whale-watching tourists. Only 5% of tourists considered themselves to be "very knowledgeable" about whales. Those who had been whale watching before were more likely to consider themselves as knowledgeable, whereas those who had not been whale watching were more likely to consider themselves less knowledgeable. Public education on whale conservation was ranked very or moderately important by over 80% of respondents. However, 29% of tourists did not know Samaná Bay was a protected area. To improve tourist's knowledge and conservation awareness, it is recommended a multilingual education program be created on all whale-watching vessels and that these programs have more conservationbased knowledge within them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whale-watching research encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and fields of study, from monitoring the biological impacts of whale-watching activities on cetaceans and assessments of the effectiveness of whale-watching management and regulations, to the sociological and economic aspects of whale watching. This article is the latest in a series of annual digests, which describes the variety and findings of whale-watching studies published over the past year, since June 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In February 2010, a captive killer whale (Orcinus orca), or orca, killed his trainer at SeaWorld Florida. A cascade of events followed, including successful federal enforcement action against Sea-World for employee safety violations. In 2012 and 2015, nonfiction books about SeaWorld's history with orcas were published; however, the 2013 documentary Blackfish has done the most to raise public awareness of captive orca welfare and trainer safety. It spawned a massive social media response, leading to the so-called "Blackfish Effect." SeaWorld's visitor numbers declined, business partners ended their relationships, and stock price plummeted. In 2012, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta applied for a permit to import 18 wild-caught beluga whales from Russia; the permit was denied in 2013, the first time a public display permit had ever been denied in the history of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. In 2014 and 2016, the California legislature considered bills phasing out captive orca exhibits in the state; the 2016 bill passed and became law in January 2017. In November 2015, a similar bill was introduced (and reintroduced in March 2017) in the US House of Representatives. In March 2016 SeaWorld announced it would end its orca breeding program company-wide and in January 2018 the Vancouver Aquarium announced it would no longer display cetaceans. Shifts in public perception of captive cetacean display strongly suggest policy makers should reconsider the legislative and regulatory status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, marine noise pollution has become increasingly recognized as an issue of major significance. The issue has become a primary focus of marine mammal research, but is also of concern to the public and policy makers. The result has been efforts involving a variety of disciplines, and relevant legislation and associated guidance are now in place in many parts of the world. Most current mitigation efforts are directed at reducing the risk of injury from exposure to intense noise, although the effectiveness of such mitigation measures in terms of risk reduction has rarely been quantified. Longer-term chronic impacts of noise including disturbance or masking of sounds critical for feeding and reproduction have received substantially less attention in management. New technologies are being developed for a number of activities which can substantially reduce noise inputs into the marine environment. As with other forms of pollution, reducing input at source is likely to be the most effective way of reducing impacts. We recommend as a priority the implementation of noise quieting technologies and the spatial and temporal exclusion of noise to minimize contact with marine life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which it discusses highlights of the first International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC) which was held at the George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, published within the issue, including a forward by Daniel Pauly and papers addressing gaps in marine conservation.

A number of international treaties address the conservation of marine resources. The declining state of the world's oceans suggests that these treaties are not succeeding and could use improvement. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is increasingly embracing the conservation of marine species. We examine the evolution of marine species protection under CITES and illuminate some of the mechanisms used and challenges faced in implementing CITES protection. We found that clarification is needed on when and where CITES applies and how CITES should work with other treaties and institutions. The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can contribute to increased effectiveness of CITES for marine conservation. Foremost, the SCB community could foster dialogue on creating a broad vision of how CITES should apply to marine species and how it can synergistically interact with other important marine-conservation treaties and institutions. More specific contributions could focus on defining listing criteria for marine species, improving the science behind the nondetriment finding, and offering technical guidance on species proposals. A future role for SCB could be to contribute to the enhanced effectiveness of other marine conservation agreements such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the International Whaling Commission, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing popularity of marine parks as tourist attractions brought with it a number of concerns, Considerable attention has been paid to investigate issues, such as the ethics of keeping marine mammals in captivity, welfare of captive marine mammals, and the educational and conservational abilities of marine parks. Little research has been conducted to explore the public's awareness and opinions of these issues. Public awareness is an important tool to understand the quality of a marine park's products and services. This study was designed to investigate the public's awareness of welfare of captive marine mammals, educational and conservational purposes of marine parks, and to examine public awareness and opinions of Dunlap and Van Liere's New Environmental Paradigm. A total of 120 respondents from St. Catharines, Canada completed either a visitor or a nonvisitor questionnaire. Results indicated that most people were aware of the issues of welfare of captive marine mammals and educational opportunities offered by marine parks, but showed less awareness of the conservational issues. However, results also indicated that respondents were well aware of, and agree with, the concerns expressed in the New Environmental Paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]