Applications for CERTIFICATES

5. That the commercial operation should have sufficient educational value to participants or to the public;

6. That the commercial operation, facilitate the collection of scientific data through citizen science and ultimately support the publication of these data in a useful form; i.e. academic journals.

7. That the vessel used meets appropriate national safety standards;

8. That the vessel used be insured for the passengers that it carries; and

9. That the vessel be deemed appropriate for whale watching operations.

10.That the crew/staff adhere to a “Leave No Trace” and “Do Not Disturb” Code of Conduct for best practices during encounters with cetaceans.

APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES:

To obtain a SeaSafe Certificate for whale watching, operators are expected to submit an application setting out relevant information that should include the following:

a) The type, number and speed of vessels intended for use and the maximum number of vessels the operator proposes to operate at any time;

b) Where possible, information relating to the noise level of each vessel both above and below the sea; (this information can be gathered as part of the impact assessment).

c) The area of operation; e.g. for a passenger boat with a P3 license plying limit of up to three miles offshore, P5 has a plying limit for sea area up 30 miles offshore.

d) The base or office of the operation;

e) The duration and frequency of trips;

f) The species of cetaceans with which the operation will be expected to have

contact;

g) The nature of the contact (e.g. viewing from a boat’s decks, an underwater-

viewing platform);