Media Releases
Fantasea CEO's plea to tourism ministers in bid to save whales
29th June 2007
Fantasea Cruising CEO Hume Campbell has called on Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey and State Tourism Minister Margaret Keech to step up pressure on the Japanese to abandon plans to hunt 1000 whales in the Southern Ocean including 50 threatened humpbacks.
In a recent letter to both Ministers, Mr Campbell expressed his disgust at the prospect of whales - especially the humpbacks which visit the Whitsundays annually to give birth to their calves - being slaughtered in the name of scientific research.
Mr Campbell is also Trustee of the Fantasea Foundation which receives $100,000 a year from the Campbell family to further research into marine conservation.
Speaking today, Mr Campbell said: "I feel very strongly about this latest threat to the whales, particularly the humpbacks. Whales are still recovering from commercial whaling that officially ended 25 years ago, and yet they are still not safe.
"The humpbacks visit the Whisundays annually as part of their winter migration north. Anyone who has witnessed these magnificent creatures on one of Fantasea's Whale Watching Cruises will tell you that it is a life-changing experience.
"I'm told that whale-hunting is worth millions of dollars to the Japanese but whale-watching is worth over a billion dollars to the world's tourism industry.
"Accordingly I've called on the Federal and State tourism ministers to take the strongest possible action to get their governments to pressure the Japanese at the highest level."
Mr Campbell was speaking as Fantasea prepares to launch its 2007 whale-watching program. Humpback whales have already been sighted in the Whitsundays on Fantasea's inter-island ferries.
Fantasea Whale Watching Cruises will depart from Shute Harbour at 9.30am with convenient connections from Whitsunday resort islands on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (weather permitting). The cruises will cost $99 for adults, $89 for seniors and students and $49 for children (5 - 15). Cruises include a full buffet lunch, complimentary tea and coffee and interpretive commentary.
Australian owned and based in the Whitsundays, Fantasea Cruising is the largest day cruise operator in the region. Fantasea Cruising is an advanced eco-certified operator offering a genuine eco-tourism experience. Each year, the Campbell family allocates over $100,000 through its Fantasea Foundation to aid vital research into the health of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in which it operates.
Fantasea Cruising is a part of the leading Australian marine transport group, Riverside Marine. Founded in 1926, Riverside Marine is a Brisbane-based company owned by the Campbell family.