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Recreational Use, Valuation, and Management, of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) on Canada's Pacific Coast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

David A. Duffus
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050, Victoria, BC V8W 3P5, Canada.
Philip Dearden
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050, Victoria, BC V8W 3P5, Canada.

Extract

The management of many ocean wildlife species is left in an institutional void, yet certain species command considerable public attention and have burgeoning management problems. In this paper the non-consumptive recreational use of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) on Canada's Pacific Ocean coast is used as an example of management difficulties that are associated with oceanic species. Problems associated with jurisdiction and institutional arrangements are coupled to significant levels of biological uncertainty and restricted management options, as well as to management concerns associated with the human domain. The case is conceptualized as an interaction between the human and more general ecological spheres, mediated by the history of the relationship between humans and the species in question. Two routes to regulation are presented, dealing respectively with the human and ecological aspects. Of particular significance is the idea that both types of information are necessary to maximize utility to both the human user and the Whales.

Results from an ongoing study of recreational use are presented to indicate some of the variables that have emerged. These are to be interpreted within current resource management infrastructure to create a tenuous situation. The unfortunate logic that results from this study is that if Killer Whales (a high-profile species) in Canada (a well-endowed nation) have not warranted more substantial protection, then the outlook for less well-known marine species in areas of the world where resource management priorities involve more direct survival concerns, is not optimistic.

Type
Main Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1993

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