| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay 
Whale Watching Regulations In and Around Banderas Bay
 Keith May - PuertoVallartaWhaleWatching.org
January 08, 2010
Whether you are taking a tour or are a private boater, the Executive Director of Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching Forum, Keith May, tells us everything we need to know about safe and legal whale watching for Banderas Bay's official 2009/2010 whale watching season.
| | This year SEMARNAT gave out white flags with the SEMARNAT logo and a humpback whale, so you can easily identify the boats authorized to do whale watching activities in Banderas Bay. | |
Whale Watching Regulations for Private Boaters
Many private boaters are not aware that the Mexican government has enacted very specific laws as it relates to whale watching activities from a private vessel as opposed to a vessel that has a legal whale watching permit.
These laws were designed to ensure the least amount of stress on the whales, to protect them from unintentional injury by boaters and to ensure that the mothers and calves are never separated from each other lest the calf falls victim to being eaten by a Killer whale. Without human intervention, we estimate that one in three calves are lost to predation by Killer whales. So, its in our interest and the interest of the whales to ensure that we are not accidently contributing to the deaths of the newly born calves.
Mexican environmental law NOM 131 ECOL 1998 states the following as it relates to whale watching by private boaters:
Private boats can stay looking at the same group of whales for a maximum of 10 minutes (no matter how exciting the show might be) and must maintain a distance of at least 80 meters or 240 feet. When participating in whale watching boats must operator no faster than 4 knots at any given time and must never move faster than the slowest moving whale.
Mothers with calves are extremely sensitive and every effort should be made to reduce their stress. Never obstruct the path of a whale, never split groups and certainly never engage in any activity that will separate the mother from the calf.
Sport fishing is not permissible near or during any whale watching activity. If you observe any marine mammal entangled in fishing gear, please report it to the Navy Sector at (322) 224-5783 or on marine channels 16 or 82. Do not attempt to assist the animal as this can be very dangerous and keep a distance of at least 300 yards until professional assistance arrives.
Scuba diving or snorkeling in the vicinity of a whale is very dangerous and is forbidden by law. Jet skis, water skis, kayaks, canoes, etc. and any type of aircraft, parasail or gliders are also forbidden to be used in the vicinity of whales.
Trash, especially plastic bags and such can suffocate a whale if it is sucked into this blow hole. Also, they become a choking hazard for our endangered sea turtle as they are mistaken for jellyfish a favorite food of sea turtles. If you see plastic bags floating in the water please take the time to retrieve them. This small action may in fact safe the life of an endangered whale or sea turtle.
When whale watching you should only ever approach diagonally from the lateral position and move parallel to the course of a whale or group of whales. Avoid any unexpected changes in velocity and direction within 300 feet or 900 meters of the nearest whale.
By following these few simple steps will ensure a safe whale watching experience for you and your friends and most importantly help to protect these gentle giants that call Banderas Bay home for a few months of every year. The official 2009/2010 whale watching season runs from December 8, 2009 March 23, 2010. Whale watching activities outside of these dates are forbidden.
Authorized Banderas Bay Whale Watching Boats and Tour Companies
This year SEMARNAT gave out white flags with the SEMARNAT logo and a humpback whale, so you can easily identify the boats authorized to do whale watching activities. If the boat does NOT have this flag it means they don't have a whale watching permit.
Click HERE for a list of Boats and/or Tour Companies Authorized by SEMARNAT to do Whale Watching activities in Banderas Bay, Jalisco-Nayarit, from December 8, 2009 to March 23, 2010
Click HERE for Banderas Bay Humpback Whale Watching Regulations for the 2009/2010 season.
To learn more about responsible whale watching, please visit the Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching Forum.
Happy Whale Watching!
Keith May, Executive Director
Puerto Vallarta Whale Watching Forum
PuertoVallartaWhaleWatching.org
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