A story about valuing, and failing to value, natural resources
Hobart, Tasmania’s largest city, is located on the Derwent River.
There used to be Whales in the Derwent river. So many, in fact, that in 1804 they were considered a danger to boating.
The first whaling station in Australia was opened at Ralph Bay on the Derwent River in Tasmania in 1806. By 1841 there were 35 whaling stations in Tasmania. By 1845, the monopoly-run industry had almost completely wiped out the species. The Derwent’s last whaling station was closed in 1890 when there were no more whales left to harpoon.
Flurry, William Duke, 1848. Museum of Tasmania
Today, instead of harpooning whales, we watch them.
Globally, whale watching has grown to a $1.2 billion a year industry, and Australia has a whopping $276 million share. Hervey Bay, the “whale watching capital of the world” has 12 charters taking 65,000 tourists every year, earning $21 million for the town, and growing at 15% per annum.
Hobart’s share of the Whale Watching Bounty? Zero
Imagine for one second that you were a Hobart resident trying to protect whales in 1840. Imagine what it would mean for Hobart if you had succeeded, and in 2006 whales could be watched frolicking in the Derwent River, not from a charter boat, but from the foreshore.
Launceston, Tasmania’s second largest city, is located on the Tamar River. It too has incredible natural resources. Will we learn from history? Will the Tamar River tell another sorry tale of short term gain and long term loss, or will it take a long term view of the value of its natural resources?
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Note 1: The Derwent now suffers extremely high levels of heavy metal contamination in sediments. The State Government-backed recommends against consuming shellfish and caution against consuming fish in general. A large proportion of the heavy metal contamination comes an electrolytic zinc smelter at Lutana established in 1917, and a paper mill at Boyer which opened in 1941 Note 2: Whales have slowly begun to return to the Derwent, commencing with sightings in the lower Derwent in 1983. It is unknown whether they will return to its upper reaches
Sources:
Mick Mcintyre “Growth in Socioeconomic Value of the Whale Watching Industry Word Wide: http://www.wildlifetourism.org.au/ppts/swtc_mcintyre_mick.pdf
Department of Environment and Heritage, South Australia. http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/coasts/whales/hist.html#Whaling
Wikipedia: http://www.answers.com/topic/derwent-river-tasmaniaSydney Morning Herald, “Bank on the Whales” 18/9/04 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/17/1095394004721.html?from=storylhs
Whales at Manly: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~russo/whales/whales.html