Manuscript submitted to Conservation Biology

Recent International Whaling Commission debate on the interaction of whalewatching and whaling provides fertile ground for empirical research. Commentary to date on the relationship between whalewatching and whaling has been largely anecdotal, rendering the potential effect that whaling might have on whalewatching largely uninformed. From this situation emerges an urgent need for empirical research to address the relationship between two conflicting and probably mutually exclusive interests relating to whales. This opinion paper presents and discusses a framework in which this relationship may be more closely studied. The framework outlines different scenarios under which the evolution of a whalewatching system can interact with other human activities including whaling. The scenarios incorporated into the framework include optimum growth in the whalewatch system and variations on optimal growth subject to both constructive and destructive human activities. The framework accommodates stochastic events that may periodically impact the attractiveness of tourist destinations, perhaps to the point that whalewatch operations lack the robustness to remain viable. The authors conclude the paper with a plea for empiricism to address the various elements of the proposed framework