By Mark Haver, NOAA Fisheries Communications Intern You’re the last boat on the water on a summer evening. The setting sun breathes a rich orange reflection over the water’s surface. A killer whale dorsal fin calmly breaks the orange sheet. It is not just the sighting that makes the experience so exciting-- it is the … Continue reading Whale SENSE Heroes

Jenna Schwerzmann Back in 2015, the Whale SENSE program welcomed six new companies from Juneau, Alaska.  Until that time, all participants were located on the Atlantic coast.  Now, in 2017, the number of Whale SENSE participants in Alaska has doubled! Tourists can now find Whale SENSE-approved companies in Juneau, Ketchikan, Valdez, and Seward. I was … Continue reading Why More of Alaska’s Whale Watching Companies Are Recognized for Responsible Tourism

Written by Jenna Schwerzmann On a partly-cloudy June morning, nearly three hundred passengers boarded the Hyannis Whale Watcher cruise. Prepped with backpacks, coolers, and extra layers for the chilly Cape Cod winds, the passengers seemed hopeful as they handed their tickets to none other than the naturalist, Jonathan Brink. Jon Brink has been with Hyannis … Continue reading A Day on Stellwagen Bank: Where Whale Watching Was Born.

Written by Tamara Lang. All photos courtesy of Major Marine Tours. My dad tells people I work on a whaleboat. I’ve tried correcting him. It’s a whale-watching boat, dad, I try to say, with glaciers as a bonus. Whaleboats operate off of antique whaling ships, and I don’t work on those either. I can promise that … Continue reading Whaleboats Buy my Quesadillas

It was a beautiful day out not on Stellwagen Bank but as we called it “south of south”. We headed out towards the south on board the Sanctuary for the 10am whale watch and after spotting a quartet of fin whales on the southwest corner of Stellwagen we headed around the tip of Cape Cod … Continue reading Whale watching “South of south” with Boston Harbor Cruises