Whale Watching in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary: Understanding Passengers and their Economic Contributions

This report presents information on for-hire whale watching passengers in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, including their estimated economic contributions. The approach used to collect and analyze these data, including survey implementation and sampling design, is also presented. Results include passengers’ attitudes, perceptions, and other activities they participated in, as well as a profile of their sociodemographic characteristics (such as where they come from, how long they stay, age, race, and party size). Additionally, this report presents the economic contribution (jobs, income, value-added, and output) of whale watchers, the characteristics they find most important and are most satisfied with, the number of whale watching days and trips they make to the region, and the types of wildlife they prefer to view. These findings will be used to support the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary management plan review, inform education and outreach efforts related to whales, and provide additional information to for-hire wildlife viewing operations.

Keywords

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, whale watching, importance/satisfaction, economic contribution