Sustainability

Prince of Whales wouldn’t be able to operate without whales, marine wildlife, or healthy oceans. Guests choose an adventure with us to see animals in the wild, so it is no surprise that we want to protect and maintain our marine family. Whales and marine wildlife are an extension of our organization and our team, which is why we’re committed to safe, environmentally conscious whale watching and marine wildlife viewing. Everything we do is for the betterment of marine wildlife.

Sustainability is key to the success of our business. We educate our guests about why it is important to protect the environment, where these animals live, and how safe and responsible whale watching aids in the sustainability of these waters.

WE’RE NAVIGATING
BEYOND CARBON
NEUTRAL

Prince of Whales is a Climate Positive designated marine adventure company, enhancing our ongoing commitment to sustainability. A Climate Positive designated company must commit to offsetting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 110% and find ways to further reduce their outputs on an annual basis. With this designation, we have committed to offsetting at least 110% of our GHG emissions annually. We have partnered with Vancouver-based Ostrom Climate to certify our carbon offsets and Victoria’s Synergy Enterprises to develop an emissions reduction, monitoring, and reporting program.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.”
Baba Dioum

Our Certifications

Through our Climate Positive designation, we will invest most of its carbon offset portfolio in a designated offset project on the West Coast— The Great Bear Forest Carbon Project, an Improved Forest Management Project created from a partnership between Coastal First Nations and the Province of BC.

As of 2023, we are officially Biosphere Certified in all locations, working towards increased operational sustainability helping to achieve the 17 Sustainability Goals developed by United Nations. Through this project we encourage sustainable practices, donations to environmental causes, partnerships with organizations, and offsetting our carbon emissions.

Our Pledge

We have signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to improving the sustainability performance of our business between now and 2030. The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” We actively measure our and improve our sustainability performance across all departments.
Our reduction targets are set at 50% per passenger by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050. We all play a role!

Zero Waste Tours

Prince of Whales offers zero waste tours that minimize environmental impact at every touchpoint.

We’ve transitioned to 100% compostable cups, napkins, and service items, serve all food unpackaged, and proudly feature locally made, sustainably sourced drinks on board.

It Takes a Village

Our internal Sustainability Committee helps embed eco-minded practices across our team of over 100 passionate individuals. They drive new initiatives across our locations, improve operations, and ensure sustainability is woven into every aspect of our work.

Innovation

We’ve introduced toroidal propellers on select vessels to reduce underwater noise, vibration and carbon emissions. We are continuing to expand this program to outfit more of our Zodiac vessels, as these propellers lower our acoustic impact on marine life and improve fuel efficiency, offering a quieter, more sustainable ride.

Contributing to Research

Our passion for whale conservation led us to partner with the University of Queensland to study the impact of marine wildlife watching. Help shape the future of sustainable tours, take the survey today and help us make a splash for conservation!

Take Survey

We Tread Lightly

We share our knowledge.
Every day we share our whale, dolphin, and porpoise sightings with the BC Cetacean Sightings Network, a conservation and research program that leverages sighting data to help protect at-risk species.

We’re Whale Wise
We’re not talking your average whale facts (although we’re full of those, too). We’re a founding member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and use its Whale Wise viewing guidelines for respecting orcas and humpback whales in the wild. We are also proud members of the World Cetacean Alliance, upholding the highest standards marine mammal welfare.

We Think Big Picture

As a member of 1% For the Planet, we’re committed to contributing at least 1% of our annual sales to local conservation initiatives that align with our values. We’ve increased our conservation fee from $2 to $5 to meet our goal of donating more than $1 million. Each passenger is charged this fee to help ensure that conservation efforts are fulsome and wide-reaching.

We Love Local

While our impact is bigger than the water, we’re land-dwellers too, so we’re big on giving back to our local community. Our donations, sponsorships, and participation in the community include the tourism industry, non-profits, and children’s charities; we contribute more than $100,000 annually to the local economy in the form of in-kind sponsorships.

Learn More

Winners of Ecostar Awards

Prince of Whales is the proud recipient of the Sustainable Workplace Award, which honours an organization with impressive environmental practices and
social policies in place to create a work culture centred around sustainability and well-being. This award was presented to our team in 2024 by the non-profit Synergy Foundation.

We are a certified BC Green Business

BC Green Business is a certification program that supports businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact and contribute to their local communities. We are proud to have been certified both as a green business and as an Ocean Friendly Business based on ‘Surfrider Approved’ actions that focus on direct and positive impact for our oceans and waterways. BC Green Business is an initiative of the non-profit Synergy Foundation.

Our staff is committed to

Environmental Stewardship

Completing Sentinel Actions

Educating guests

SALISH SEA CONSERVATION FEE

In 2015 we joined 1% For the Planet and committed to donating at least 1% of annual sales to non-profit organizations that realize that we all have a responsibility to protect our planet.

At that time, we added a mandatory $2 Per Person Salish Sea Conservation Fee to the sale of each whale watching tour. Through this fee, we could leverage funds that would have otherwise been unavailable and refocus them on initiatives that truly matter and make a difference to the local environment and the animal populations we share the land and oceans with. Today our conservation fee is $5 and funds a menagerie of programs and organizations.

Since 2015, we have raised and donated more than $300,000 to local conservation organizations doing important work in three key areas:

Wild Salmon Enhancement
Marine Mammal Research
Educational Programs

In 2018, we took this initiative to the next level and raised the bar. We committed to donating $1 million to the three areas mentioned above over the next five years.

By taking a risk and increasing this conservation fee to $5, we were able to lead by example and nudge other like-minded organizations to increase their fee, thus drastically improving the pool of available funds for wild salmon enhancement, marine mammal-based scientific research, and education.

Since raising our fee to $5, we have engaged our customers in more critical conversations about conservation, giving them a greater sense of their place on the planet and global awareness of the part we all play within our ecosystem and our responsibility to it. We are all part of the solution, and there is no Planet B.