Marine biologists in Australia have published the results of research into the impact of noise from whale watching tourist boats on whales. Whale watching is a popular tourist activity around the world, connecting people with marine life and providing tourist income. However, whales and dolphins rely on hearing and sounds to communicate, navigate, feed and detect predators - and boats make noise. Previous work referenced by this research shows noise from tourist boats reducing resting time in whales. This new work also found that noise from boats at 300 metres reduced resting time. The researchers are recommending guidelines on engine noise are added to those that many countries already have on minimum distance from animals, passing speed and approach angle for boats.
More on the research: Whale-watching guidelines don't include boat noise. It's time they did (theconversation.com)
