Marketing the key to whale-watching in Nunavut

Whale-watching is a small but growing part of territorial tourism says Nunavut Tourism, which maintains a list of local and southern outfitters offering whale-watching tours in the territory.

Dave Reid of Polar Sea Adventures in Pond Inlet regularly runs whale-watching tours as part of his spring and summer tours.

Whale-watching for narwhal and bowhead is part of floe edge tours in the spring, said Reid, while during the summer season, to the west of Pond Inlet, narwhal can be seen from zodiacs or sea kayaks.

There is “absolutely” a market for whale-watching in Nunavut, but Reid said a “quality product,” networking, promotion, and finding a niche market are the keys to making whale-watching work. Proper insurance is moreover necessary to have a licence as an operator and be promoted by Nunavut Tourism as an outfitter offering whale-watching tours.

“The potential is there, but the quality has to be there because you are competing with Iceland and the west coast of British Columbia, New Zealand… there’s whale-watching all over the world,” Reid said. “It’s a huge potential market.”

Reid said he has had clients who come to Baffin specifically to watch whales and particularly narwhal.

“Some people still believe that narwhal are a thing of myths and legends,” Reid said.

Reid chose not to comment on how local hunters view whale-watching, but he said the nature of whale-watching and hunting are the same: you go to where the whales are.

Reid generally gets to know his clients well, so they’re well-informed about what they expect to see and know they’re in a place where hunting is a way of life. That being said, he knows his clients come to see living whales, out on the water.

“There’s absolutely no point in them dropping $5,000 or $6,000 to then even stand the slightest chance that the first whale they’re seeing is a dead whale.”

If Reid feels they are misinformed or have unrealistic expectations, he provides more information or even may tell them they’re not coming to the right place.

“There are clients who think that they’re going to step off the plane and see a whale,” Reid said. “You have to educate them in this sense. They have to be told even before they get on the boat that there’s nothing guaranteed.”

Next summer, Reid is collaborating with a conservation group called Earthwatch and plans to send clients along on a McGill University research project to study narwhal.