I have been described as possessing ‘remarkable’ patience and perseverance. That is maybe a polite way of putting it; someone else was more frank when they called me a Cybernag. My job at Planet Whale has been to invite whale and dolphin conservation groups from around the world to be a part of our community. We tracked down about 180 groups, (although this figure is not complete and there must be more out there doing vital work while remaining relatively unknown by the world at large). Once we’d found them we sent them a questionnaire, the results of which we could then use to give them profile pages on the website and to produce a report about their work.
Then the fun began… Imagine how busy these groups are. For many of them this is prime research season when they are out at sea for months at a time. For others, their workload is so great that each employee or volunteer is doing the job of five people. And suddenly on top of this they had to put up with an onslaught of phone calls and emails from me; encouraging, inspiring and downright harassing them to return questionnaires.
To their absolute credit they have put up with this barrage; we now have about 100 non-profit groups featured on the website. They are also helping us to get it shipshape and ready for thousands of whale watching folk to join it by letting us know about any problems they encounter with the site so we can fix them fast.
We are very grateful to them for jumping onboard when Planet Whale is only in its infancy and they know so little about who we are. We are asking a lot of them… to be patient while we get this website afloat, to be patient while we build up our members and create links on the site for members to access their profiles, to trust in our ethics. For what purpose? Why do we want these groups to be a part of the Planet Whale community?
Well now we get to a little secret behind Planet Whale. We believe that something
truly beautiful would be lacking from planet Earth if our oceans were not moved by the songs of whales and the dancing of dolphins. How sad it would be if our grandchildren were learning about whales as they do a dinosaur with the word ‘extinct’ attached to its description. As any of us know who have seen one of these animals in the wild, they can move people to tears, they can inspire people to change the course their lives, they have even on occasion saved lives. Conservation groups are at the forefront of the quest to look after these incredible animals and their home. But conservation groups cannot survive alone. They rely hugely on all us normal folk; donations and legacies are their most common source of funding and educating us is part of their mission so that we know how to live lives that will keep the oceans healthy. Sometimes though, us normal folk have too many worries of our own to contend with and ‘doing our bit’ can be one stress too many. It can be hard for conservation groups to get our attention and hard for us to want them too.
But….. sometimes, when we step outside of our everyday lives, maybe when we spontaneously decide to book that trip to see a humpback whale… then occasionally, for a brief moment or two… we see a bigger picture, we feel a connection and we are moved to care… And sometimes that translates into action. Maybe to not throw plastic bags into the sea, or maybe to donate to a charity, or maybe to have the most amazing holiday of our lives doing voluntary work on a dolphin research expedition…
It is our hope here at Planet Whale that by providing folk with information on seeing whales and dolphins, and providing them with information on conservation groups, that we can be a meeting point that encourages folk to find out more, and maybe to do more. It is also our hope to be a meeting point between conservationists and the whale watching industry. And the amazing thing is that once Planet Whale is up and flying, we will not ‘own’ it anymore… it will be owned by every member of it, and every member will have the potential to influence what Planet Whale can be and do. That is the heart of our ethics; that we provide an open platform upon which all our members can build. There are big issues within the whale watching industry; conservationists, governments and other legislative bodies are all grappling with these issues. There is a place for research and laws and guidelines. There is also a place for everyone with a stake in the welfare of whales to come together and meet on an equal footing and democratically find ways forward.
By using Planet Whale as a platform, in the future it may be that whale watching folk help shape the course of whale watching by rating trips they have been on and so encouraging good practise. It may be that conservation groups attract thousands more people wanting to donate to or volunteer with them. It may be that more whale watch operators and conservation groups work together to the benefit of both, with higher standards in the whale watching industry and conservationists tapping into an opportunity to conduct research and reach potential new supporters. Who knows… anything is possible.
We need conservation groups to be part of this community. Planet Whale can only function with the participation of all. Only then will our ethos be brought to life; that between us, with dialogue, democratic principles and maybe occasionally a disagreement or two, we can all play a role in shaping the future of whale and dolphin watching and ultimately whale and dolphin conservation.
So I would like to say a big thank you once again to all our whale and dolphin conservation groups for coming aboard. I am sorry I nagged you all but I am glad it did the trick and I hope that you and all our growing members will stay with us on the long journey ahead… It’s going to be a great ride!
About the author
Amanda Banks has been working at Planet Whale since the end of July, with a job description of locating, liaising and conducting research with whale and dolphin conservation organisations worldwide, creating their profile pages on the website and producing a global report. She was supposed to only be with Planet Whale for a month, but is somehow still here. “You’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming out of the door”, she says, about her imminent departure once her job is done. Read more in her biography in the ‘About Us’ section of the site…
(. . . and somebody please give her a job! Ed)
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