Cape Town (TAN): Members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) have decided to take mandatory measures to prevent whale strikes in cetacean-rich Antarctic waters.
At its annual meeting, this year held in Cape Town, the members gave their nod to new measures that would instruct member operators to commit to either a 10-knot speed restriction within a specific geo-fenced time-area on the Antarctic Peninsula or, for member operators who have a whale strike mitigation training program, an extra watchman on the bridge to monitor and record sightings within the geofenced time-area, IAATO said in a statement.
The compulsory measures will formally take effect on July 1 in readiness for the 2019/20 Antarctic travel season, which begins in October.
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Incoming IAATO executive committee chair Mark van der Hulst said: “IAATO is a trusted and valued Antarctic stakeholder thanks to its demonstrated commitment to safe, environmentally responsible travel through decisions like the one we have reached… regarding the protection of whales.”
“We have a track record of stringent, proactive self-management and this decision is no exception,” he said.
Since the commercial whaling ban in 1982, nearly all humpback whale populations in the southern hemisphere are recovering, some at rates near their biological maximum, the Association said. But with these increasingly whale-rich waters comes an increased risk of whale strikes in areas of high aggregation such as those used for feeding, breeding, raising offspring, socialising and migrating.
In addition to its own bylaws and requirements for membership, IAATO requires its members to abide by the Antarctic Treaty System and other international regulations.
IAATO is a member organization founded in 1991 to advocate and promote the practice of safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic. It has a global network of over 100 members.
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