A Queensland University of Technology professor says that a levy could be imposed on whale watchers to compensate whaling nations for ending their practices.



Associate Professor Clevo Wilson from the university's School of Economics and Finance says pro-whaling nations would be seeking financial support as compensation for the lost income the whaling industry creates.




"Traditional communities in whaling countries fear that their livelihoods and their way of life would disappear if they were to stop killing whales," he said.


"Hence, the pressure on whaling governments to continue the practice. But the opposite is true for countries that oppose whaling and run whale-watching industries where live whales are the valuable resource."


Professor WIlson referred to the growth in popularity, and its associated economic benefits, of whale watching in Australia.


"In Australia, whale-watcher numbers have more than doubled from 0.73 million to more than 1.6 million between 1998 and 2008."


He said charging tourists a levy to be paid to whaling nations would be a more effective strategy than taking them to the World Court.


" ... if the countries for whom whales are worth more alive than dead charged a small levy of say $5 per whale-watching tourist, whale-watching countries could compensate those for whom a dead whale is worth more than a live one.


"If we were to compensate those who would lose their livelihoods from an end to whaling, we might have a better chance of putting an end to all forms of whaling."


Reporter's note: The idea of paying an industry to stop doing the wrong thing surely promotes the act in the first place. To me it's the equivalent of paying people smugglers or illegal loggers to discontinue their unlawful practices.


We'd love to hear your thoughts on this concept.