Voluntary Rules for Dolphin Watching—Wildlife Protection Declaration—

In order to respect the lives and livelihood of the sea creatures that make Funka Bay their home when observing them, we operate the watching boat with attention to the below.

1. We treasure the lives of all sea creatures.
We do not take the following actions that pose a danger to the lives of whales, sea birds, etc. when observing them.
・Actions such as intruding on them by drawing too quickly or too close to them, or obstructing them from coming to the surface/diving/swimming.
2. We respect the livelihood of all animals.
We do not take the following actions that disturb the behavior of the animals, such as the rearing of their young or their feeding.
・Actions such as approaching a mother and her offspring or animals that are resting, relentlessly chase them, or cut into the middle of a herd.
3. We connect animals with people.
By being accompanied by a nature guide, the passengers will, through their dolphin watching experience at Funka Bay, cover educational content that inspires interest and concern towards the marine environment.

[Additional Clause] We aim for a sustained win-win relationship between animals and humans which considers their mutual safety.

We put our greatest effort into ensuring that anyone can safely enjoy spending time with the sea animals.
"Specific Rules Regarding Ship-Handling and Observation Applicable to All Sea Creatures"
  • *Aim to draw no closer than 50m to toothed whales, 100m to baleen whales, and 100m to any that are with their young.
    This distance is 10m for seals and walruses.
    When observing sea birds, maintain a distance which does not cause their behavior to change.
    (Think sensibly and maintain a distance where the animals do not feel stressed.)
  • *Keep your speed below 5 knots when approaching an animal. (Speed at which you can stop or veer the boat at any time.)
  • *If for any reason you have drawn too close to an animal, stand by neutrally while watching the animal's movement.
  • *In cases such as research or data collection when the above rules may not be observable, a nature guide will accompany and supervise you.
  • *Do not follow the same group or individual for more than 30 minutes. (Keep this limited to within five minutes for mothers with their young.)
  • *Do not crowd around one individual or group with more than three ships. (This includes ships from other companies.)

Planning and Creation: SASAMORI Kotoe (marine life investigator)