Seattle Times Cites Earth Economics
Whale Watching Study in Call for Public Opinion
“Whale watching is big business, according to a 2019 study by Earth Economics. The study found whale watching participants who whale watch from boat-based tours or from terrestrial viewing points in San Juan County support over $216 million worth of economic activity in the Puget Sound region every year. This activity generates more than $12 million in state and local tax revenue annually and supports over 1,800 jobs, according to the study.”
Earth Economics was cited Seattle Times article,
Federal government wants your opinion on whale-watching rules to protect orcas
Earth Economics’ research on the economic contribution the estimated value of whale watching in San Juan County, Washington. The analysis focuses on boat- and land-based whale watching in San Juan County, the heart of Washington’s whale watching economy, but calculates the benefits to the entire Puget Sound Region. The report, The Whales in Our Waters, estimates that threats to the recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population present an economic risk of $34 million in annual economic activity, $2.2 million in state and local tax revenue, and 330 jobs.
The Seattle Times article calls on public opinion to weigh in on current and potentially new whale watching regulations surrounding the SRKW population. Depleted Chinook salmon stocks, vessel-related noise and disturbance, and increasingly polluted waters continue to put challenges on the SRKW population. The SRKW is an endangered species with a current population of only 73.