Dominica’s sperm whale reserve reshapes marine tourism

On 13 November 2023 Dominica announced a world first: the creation of a legally recognised reserve to protect a resident community of sperm whales off its west coast. The government partnered with National Geographic Pristine Seas, the Dominica Sperm Whale Project and international advisers to design a protected area intended to safeguard whales while enabling a sustainable, higher‑value marine tourism sector.

The Reserve has been framed as both a conservation and a climate co‑benefit project: officials describe a ‘low‑carbon, high‑economic‑benefit’ whale‑tourism model that supports local fishers and operators. Early technical and media coverage emphasised the potential to pair strong legal protections with premium ecotourism and job‑creating enforcement roles.

Origins, partners and the protected area footprint

The announcement on 13 November 2023 identified National Geographic Pristine Seas as a key partner in Reserve design and public messaging. Local scientific partners named in coverage and consultations include the Dominica Sperm Whale Project (Dr. Shane Gero), Project CETI collaborators and economic advisers such as Dynamic Planet.

Initial public communications described a Reserve of roughly 788 km2; later legislation and press statements around 14 October 2025 reported a statutory Reserve spanning approximately 1,231 km2. The reporting difference highlights evolving boundaries as the Reserve moved from proposal to law.

Officials also noted the area will cover less than 3% of Dominica’s national waters, aiming to balance protection with existing maritime uses. The Reserve siting drew on long‑term research identifying year‑round sperm whale clans and core habitat, a rare circumstance that made Dominica a logical test case for this model.

Science behind the Reserve and the climate argument

Dominica’s authorities and scientific advisers have repeatedly cited an estimated resident community in local waters of about 200, 250 sperm whales; regional estimates place fewer than 500 sperm whales across parts of the eastern Caribbean. These population figures informed Reserve design and management priorities.

Partners have promoted the whales’ role in ocean nutrient cycling: peer‑reviewed work on the ‘whale pump’ and whale‑mediated iron deposition (for example Lavery et al. 2010 and subsequent reviews) shows that iron‑rich surface defecation by deep‑diving whales can stimulate phytoplankton production and contribute to deep‑ocean carbon export. Pristine Seas and advisers estimated that, assuming roughly 250 local whales, these animals could enable on the order of 4,200 metric tonnes of carbon sequestration per year.

Scientists advising the project also urge caution: whale‑mediated carbon sequestration is supported by published research but depends on complex food‑web and regional oceanographic dynamics. Most experts characterise whale carbon benefits as complementary to, not a substitute for, aggressive emissions reductions.

Legal framework, governance and enforcement

The Sperm Whale Reserve Bill was introduced in mid‑2025 and advanced through Parliament: legislation was tabled on 24 June 2025 and Parliament reported approval during the 14 October 2025 sitting. The law creates a statutory Reserve, a Reserve Board and Office, a Reserve Fund and explicit enforcement mechanisms.

New governance features include a dedicated Sperm Whale Reserve Office with a Chief or Senior Whale Officer, Rangers and observers to travel on tourism and research vessels, and a Reserve Fund supplied by appropriations, penalties and royalties. Maritime corridors and speed/noise controls are part of the toolkit intended to reduce ship strikes and harmful acoustic disturbance.

The Bill spells out prohibited behaviours, unregulated swim‑with‑whale tours, harassment, vessel strikes and certain forms of pollution carry strict penalties, while allowing regulated whale‑watching, controlled swim encounters, sustainable artisanal fishing and scientific research under a management plan and permit system.

Operational rules and the new tourism model

Officials and advisers describe the Reserve as enabling a shift to ‘low‑carbon, high‑value’ whale tourism. That means fewer encounters that are carefully managed, higher compliance standards for operators, and product positioning toward premium experiences rather than mass, unregulated trips.

Press and travel coverage report specific operational limits being implemented: swim encounters and viewing opportunities will remain available but under caps and active monitoring. Some operator protocols mentioned in media stories include small in‑water groups (for example, packages referencing ‘three swimmers + one guide’ in the water) and requirements for Reserve Rangers or trained observers onboard.

Reserve rules are intended to raise operator accountability, licenses, observer presence, mandatory briefings and post‑encounter reporting, and to internalise enforcement costs via the Reserve Fund so that conservation has sustainable financing while supporting compliant local operators.

Impacts for local communities and the tourism sector

Analysts and economic advisers argue the Reserve can generate net benefits for local people: higher per‑trip revenues from premium ecotourism, fewer gear losses and interactions for fishers, and new jobs for Reserve Rangers, observers and enforcement staff. Dynamic Planet and government briefings framed these outcomes as part of a just transition toward sustainable ocean use.

For tourism operators the changes bring trade‑offs. Compliance will increase operating costs, training, observer fees, permits and vessel adaptations, but supporters argue these costs can be offset by higher‑value packages, stricter marketing that attracts premium travellers, and reduced conflict with fishers and regulators.

The Reserve is also presented as a potential blueprint for other nations balancing whale conservation and tourism revenue. International coverage in outlets from National Geographic to the BBC and The Guardian emphasised the policy novelty and potential replicability of Dominica’s approach.

Threat reduction, monitoring and scientific legacy

Government and scientists have emphasised the primary threats the Reserve seeks to reduce: ship strikes, underwater noise from shipping and ferries, entanglement in fishing gear, ingestion of plastics and habitat disturbance. Dr. Shane Gero and other researchers warned the community is ‘at risk’ from these threats and have been central in identifying mitigation priorities.

Long‑term research by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project and collaborators provided the identification of family clans and year‑round residency patterns used to site the Reserve. That monitoring legacy also supplies a baseline against which future biological and ecological impacts can be evaluated.

Monitoring, enforced corridors, observer programmes and adaptive management are all built into the legislative and operational design. International scientific partners and local teams will need to continue rigorous data collection to test ecological outcomes, including the whale‑pump climate claims, and to adapt rules over time.

Uncertainties, global reaction and next steps

The Reserve drew wide international attention when announced, with coverage noting conservation and climate co‑benefits. Enric Sala of Pristine Seas framed the move as cost‑effective climate action, saying protecting the whales ‘offers an incredible, cost‑effective climate solution’ in public statements. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit conveyed a national sentiment: he called the animals ‘prized citizens of Dominica,’ stressing their cultural as well as ecological value.

Yet scientific caveats remain important. Peer‑reviewed research supports nutrient cycling and potential carbon export by whales, but outcomes vary by ocean region and depend on recovery of whale populations and broader ecosystem responses. Experts therefore caution that whale protection should complement, not replace, emissions reduction and other climate policies.

Moving forward, success will depend on effective enforcement, transparent monitoring, and equitable sharing of tourism benefits with coastal communities. If implemented carefully, Dominica’s model could influence how islands and coastal states balance protected species conservation, tourism revenue, and climate co‑benefits.

As the Reserve reaches statutory form and operational rules are applied, observers, local and international, will watch whether the legal protections, reserve office, Rangers and premium tourism strategy produce the conservation and socioeconomic outcomes promised.