Sperm Whales Off Mauritius Under Threat From Tourist Boats, Study Warns

A newly published study in the peer-reviewed journal *Marine Mammal Science* has raised alarm bells about the impact of tourist boat traffic on sperm whales in Mauritian waters — one of the few places in the world where these deep-diving giants can be reliably spotted close to shore. **What the study found** Researchers found that the increasing pressure of whale-watching and dolphin-watching excursions — a booming segment of Mauritius's marine tourism industry — is causing measurable stress to sperm whale populations. The study points to disruptive vessel behaviour, excessive noise from boat engines, and boats approaching too closely as key concerns. Sperm whales (*Physeter macrocephalus*) are highly sensitive to sound. They rely on complex clicking patterns called codas to communicate with one another, and underwater noise from motorised vessels can interfere with these signals — affecting social bonding, feeding coordination, and navigation. **Why Mauritius matters for sperm whales** The waters off the west coast of Mauritius, particularly around Tamarin and the Black River (Rivière Noire) district, are among the rare locations globally where sperm whales are seen in relatively shallow coastal waters. This makes them unusually accessible for tourism — but also unusually vulnerable to it. Whale and dolphin watching has grown significantly in Mauritius over the past two decades, with dozens of licensed and unlicensed operators offering excursions. On busy days, multiple boats can converge on the same group of animals simultaneously. **A growing tension between tourism and conservation** Mauritius has regulations governing marine wildlife interactions, including guidelines on minimum approach distances for cetaceans (whales and dolphins). However, enforcement at sea remains a persistent challenge, and critics have long argued that the rules are widely flouted without meaningful consequences. The publication of this study in an internationally recognised scientific journal adds academic weight to concerns that conservationists and marine biologists based in Mauritius have been voicing for years. **What this means** For tourists, this is a reminder that whale-watching excursions carry a real ecological cost if not managed responsibly. Choosing operators who follow official guidelines — maintaining distance, limiting engine speed, and capping time spent near animals — can make a difference. For policymakers, the study represents a call to revisit and strengthen enforcement of marine wildlife regulations before irreversible behavioural changes occur in local whale populations. For Mauritius's broader reputation as an eco-tourism destination, the findings underscore the need to balance the economic value of marine tourism with the long-term health of the ecosystems that make that tourism possible. Source: Le Defi Media