Codes Of Conduct

General Code of Conduct

The Wild North
General Code of Conduct for Watching Wildlife

Following the guidelines in this document will help ensure that your activities do not damage natural environments or disturb wildlife. Disturbance can have long term impacts on individual animals and on populations; including injury, death, decreased reproductive success and habitat abandonment. Engaging with the following guidance can significantly improve the customer experience. By working together within these guidelines we can ensure the wildlife tourism industry develops and maintains an international reputation for quality and excellence.

1. General Requirements

• The tour leader/skipper and/or guides should be familiar with, or be in the process of developing in collaboration with researchers, local codes of conduct for specific species and sensitive areas. Where necessary advice should be taken on local issues and activities adjusted accordingly.
• Equipment should be well-maintained and regularly checked.
• Businesses are encouraged to join their regional tourist board and be quality assured.
• Businesses are encouraged to join an environmental standards scheme and be ‘eco-certified’.
• Businesses should avoid visiting sites or setting up a new operation in areas where there are lots of other tourism operators as this increases the potential to disturb wildlife and decreases the visitors’ experience of nature.

For Vehicles:
• Vehicles should comply with all licence regulations and must be regularly serviced and maintained.
• All driver/vehicle regulations should be adhered to.
• A separate guide should be on tours where driver regulations require this.
• Vehicles should stay on roads and paths where possible and avoid damaging the landscape when driving off road.

For Boats:
• Vessels should comply with all licence regulations and must be regularly serviced and maintained.
• An appropriate ship’s management plan, vessel operating procedure document, environmental policy and vessel service record should be available for inspection by competent authorities.
• Where a vessel is operated single-handedly, particular care must be exercised in relation to the choice of route, conditions and safety should the skipper become incapacitated.

 

2. Best Practice during Wildlife Encounters

General
1. Set a good example. If you disturb wildlife, your clients and others watching will think it is acceptable to do the same. If in doubt, back off and explain your actions.
2. Keep a lookout.  As soon as you see wildlife, evaluate the situation; identify the species, behaviour, geography of the area and whether there are young in the group, then adjust your behaviour accordingly. Ideally animals should be showing the same behaviour when you leave as when you arrived.
3. Approach slowly and cautiously. Make sure your movements are steady and predictable. Do not approach directly from in front or behind, use an oblique angle.
4. Keep your distance. Advise guests that the most rewarding and authentic wildlife encounters are those where the animals are behaving naturally. 100m is recommended as the safe distance to which whales should be approached and 50m for seals, seabirds and small cetaceans (dolphin, porpoise etc). If animals are with young, distances should be increased.
5. Be aware of disturbance behaviours. Ideally, move away before any signs of disturbance are seen (e.g. ‘heads up’ responses, alarm calls, sudden movements or aggressive behaviour). Be aware of what constitutes normal behaviour compared to signs of disturbance for different species (see Box 1).
6. Inform guests on appropriate behaviour to minimise impacts in natural areas e.g. by following Leave no Trace (www.lnt.org) guidelines.
7. Encounters should be on the animals’ terms. If an animal moves away do not try to re-encounter or pursue. Relaxed animal’s often come back of their own accord. 
8. Limit encounters to 15 minutes. Unless the animal is obviously associating with the vehicle or vessel and departure may cause disturbance.
9. Keep to paths and routes that avoid disturbance to wildlife wherever possible. Be aware that regular use of routes can lead to wildlife becoming accustomed to your presence, but over-use of routes can drive away sensitive wildlife. Use your judgement and ask experts if in doubt.
10. Consider the size of your group in relation to the sensitivity of the situation. Keep guests together in sensitive areas so you can advise on suitable behaviour.
11. Avoid boxing animals in. If other people are watching the same animals, stay on the same side and allow a safe escape route i.e. to open water, shelter or the rest of the group. Avoid splitting up groups of animals.
12. Dogs should not be taken on wildlife-watching trips as chances of seeing wildlife will be reduced, the probability of disturbing wildlife will be increased and it does not set the best example.
13. Do not allow flash photography around wildlife. Encourage guests to find out how to turn off automatic flash settings on cameras.
14. Record and submit sightings of key or unusual species. Report any stranded or injured animals to the relevant local body. Report wildlife crime if you see it occurring.

Breeding Animals/Mothers & Young
• Take extra care during sensitive times of year in places where animals may be breeding, on the nest or with their young.
• Never approach apparently lone young animals.
• Do not come between mothers and their young.

Vehicles
• Where possible, vehicles should remain on surfaced roads to avoid disturbance and habitat destruction, however if off-road is necessary, follow existing tracks.
• Drive at a comfortable and appropriate speed for the benefit of your guests and to avoid disturbance.
• It is an offence to idle your engine unnecessarily; turning off improves air quality and reduces your fuel costs. Turn off engines if stationary for more than a few minutes. 
• Always park your vehicle responsibly in relation to wildlife and other users.
• Brief guests on how to behave before they move away from the vehicle.

Kayaks
• Stay in contact with other groups in the vicinity to co-ordinate your actions and avoid disturbance.
• Provide a briefing for guests regarding responsible behaviour before starting the trip.
• The silent approach of a kayak may cause sudden alarm. Keep movements steady and predictable and do not approach directly.
• Large animals can present a threat to kayaks and should be given plenty of space.

 

• Animals do not always behave in the same way at different sites or different times of year. At some popular sites, seals, otters and some birds may get habituated to certain types of boat and certain noise levels.
• Be aware that the constant and ‘unusual’ movement of the paddles may disturb wildlife. A lower paddle angle may create fewer disturbances.
• The sound of paddles may also create disturbance. Try to paddle as silently as possible where safe to do so.
• Sea kayaks allow for exploration of places other vessels are unable to reach, such as sea caves.  Be aware that birds nest and roost in sea caves and that seals sometimes haul out at low tide. If you encounter wildlife in a sea cave, back out slowly as you may be blocking their ‘escape’ route.  Hug the wall where safe to do so.

Species Specific Advice

Birds

• Do not deliberately identify nest sites of rare or protected species.
• Take care around bird colonies and nesting cliffs. If birds are alarmed and take off quickly, eggs or chicks are vulnerable to predation or can be knocked into the sea.
• Do not use pre-recorded bird sounds to attract birds and carefully consider the implications of using feeders.
• On the water, do not go through rafts of birds. If it is unavoidable, ensure a slow speed and steady course.
• On land, be careful not to scare birds off nests or trample burrows and do not intentionally put up flocks of birds.
• Some species, such as puffin, appear tolerant of close approach but this causes stress, prevents access to nest burrows and can increased predation. Avoid appearing above nesting cliffs as this can trigger a ‘crash’ exodus of birds, broken eggs or desertions. Seabird colonies may tolerate quiet, slow, sea-level approaches from vessels better, but do not disembark and keep visit short. Avoid Tern colonies.
• White-tailed eagles nest in trees and on crags, often in coastal areas. If you suspect you may be near an active nest move away quickly and quietly. If you are in a vessel keep moving along the coast and do not land or attempt to photograph the nest or birds. They can be very vocal if disturbed and have a loud echoing ‘kok kok kok’ call. They may show clear signs of distress e.g. throwing their legs forward or appearing to falter in mid flight. If you see this behaviour, move out of the area as so they can return safely to their nest and young.

Cetaceans & Basking Sharks

• Approach cautiously using an oblique angle. When you draw level maintain a parallel course to the animal or group. Do not approach directly from the front or behind. Within the caution zone (300m) assess how your actions may affect the animal and take steps to minimise disturbance.

• If approached by marine mammals, and where it is safe to do so, put the engine in neutral and allow the animal to pass. Do not engage propellers until the animal(s) are observed at the surface and clear of the vessel.
• If there are other vessels near the animals, establish contact and co-ordinate your actions to avoid disturbance. Stay on the same side of the group and avoid having more than two boats within 100m of the animals.
• Should dolphins choose to bow-ride, maintain a steady course and speed. When you need to break off the encounter, slow gradually to a stop and allow the animals to leave you of their own accord. When the animals leave, do not follow.
• If you are returning to an area where animals have recently been seen, approach slowly. This is especially applicable to basking sharks which may be just below the surface.
• Avoid tidal fronts where possible (often marked on the surface of the water by lines of debris or foam) as these are common feeding grounds for basking sharks. Animals may be under the surface and unaware of your presence. Maintain a parallel course, 100m off the front.
• The Wild North does not encourage feeding, touching, riding or swimming with marine mammals or basking sharks.

Seals

• Seals haul out sites are very vulnerable to disturbance (especially from kayaks). Be aware of haul-out spots before setting off and avoid them if possible.
• If you approach do so at an oblique angle with constant watch for signs of disturbance. Never flush seals into the water.
• Seals have a three stage response to threats: 1- ‘heads up’/ vigilance; 2-shuffling/moving around; 3- rushing into the water. If individual animals are staring at you or the boat, you may be disturbing them. Avoid making eye contact and be prepared to move away smoothly, slowly and quietly.
• Escaping into the water expends a lot of energy and can have serious impacts on long term health and reproductive success.
• Remember that disturbing seals is not only bad for them but degrades the watching experience for guests and other operators who may come after you.

Kayak & Boat Trips: Going Ashore
• If going ashore, choose your landing area carefully so that any noise or activity will not disturb wildlife and or ground-nesting birds. Avoid seal haul-out sites and seabird colonies. Be aware of your access rights.
• Avoid landing in protected areas.
• Keep the group together in sensitive areas so you can advise on suitable behaviour as needed.
• Avoid hauled out seals or lone pups.
• Inform guests that it is an offence to pick wild flowers.
• Avoid approaching otter holts closely and blocking routes to and from the sea.
• If camping, follow the Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s guide to Wild Camping and make sure that you do not pitch your tent close to dens, otter holts or sites used by birds for nesting or roosting. Do not light fires.
• If possible, carry your kayak (rather than drag it) when moving overland.
• For more detailed information about the Leave No Trace approach to sea kayaking and camping, contact Wild Scotland who will be able to arrange certificated training for your staff.

Box 1: Signs of Disturbance
If an animal changes its behaviour as a result of your presence then you may have disturbed it. As a professional tourism operator you should aim to minimise disturbance to the wildlife on which you depend.
• Basking sharks: tail lashing, sudden change of direction or sinking from surface;
• Cetaceans: move away from the boat, bunch together, tail slaps, increased dive times;
• Otters: harsh ‘hah’ alarm call, changing behaviour and moving away;
• Seabirds: leave nest suddenly with alarm calls;
• Seals: head up - looking at you, shuffling, rush into the water;
• White-tailed eagles: loud ‘kok kok kok’ call. May also fly around and throw legs forward or appear to falter in mid flight.

 

Good Guiding

The guide/crew or tour leader are responsible for ensuring a good visitor experience and providing guests with appropriate guidance to prevent damage or disturbance to habitats or species. The Wild North therefore recommends the following:

The Start of the Trip

• When guests arrive, vehicles, vessels and equipment should be ready and clean.
• A brief and friendly introduction is a professional way to start a trip and will help guests have a better experience whilst supporting the wildlife watching guidelines you are following. See Box 2 for suggestions.
• Encourage people to help guides/leaders look for wildlife – it helps keep clients engaged during the trip.

 

 

 

 

• Be well prepared with appropriate kit e.g. compass, first aid kit and educational resources etc;
• Remember that the weather can change quickly and dramatically and be prepared for all eventualities.
• Be approachable, helpful and willing to speak to people and answer questions;
• Have a sound knowledge and enthusiasm regarding wildlife and natural history;
• Provide interesting and engaging information on natural history and behaviour of species seen (see Box 2). It is not acceptable to merely point out species.
• Advise guests of appropriate behaviour during the trip, e.g. keeping noise and movement to a minimum when watching wildlife; not dropping litter, using flash photography or approaching wildlife; staying on paths etc.
• For walking or kayaking tours, set the pace to the slowest participant.
• Carry spare binoculars to enhance visitor experience whilst allowing you to keep a safe distance from sensitive wildlife.
• When watching wildlife ensure the vehicle/vessel and guide/crew are positioned so that everyone has the opportunity for a good view.
• When speaking to the group, ensure that everyone can hear and see you. The best way to check is to ask. If using an amplifier, ensure the balance is suitable for all aboard (adjust to weather conditions).
• Consider gaining professional qualifications such as interpretation or guiding certification, mountain leader, Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org) and first aid.

Vehicles & Walking Tours
• Do not address the whole group whilst driving unless your licence allows this and all the group can hear. Consider a lapel microphone and a speaker.
• Where appropriate, stop the vehicle and allow people out to see the wildlife.
• If guests are leaving the vehicle near wildlife, ask them to get out of the vehicle quietly, and not to speak too loudly or slam doors.
• Where possible, make use wildlife watching hides to observe species. Use binoculars or telescopes to get better views, rather than getting too close.

 

 

 

The End of the Trip

Guests should be encouraged to provide written feedback on their tour.  This feedback should be used to make improvements to your operations.

Where possible keep a log of wildlife sightings. Sightings of key or unusual species should be recorded and submitted to a recognised sightings database.

 

THE ICELANDIC SEAL CENTER
Code of Conduct
-Vatnsnes peninsula, Iceland

THE ICELANDIC SEAL CENTER
May 4th 2011

 

Contents
1. Introduction 
2. Visitor code of conduct 
2.1 Land based seal and bird watching 
2.2 Boat based seal watching 
3. The entrepreneur code of conduct for Vatnsnes cluster 
3.1 The general entrepreneur code of conduct 
3.2 Additional code for the seal watching boat 

 

1. Introduction
The nature of Vatnsnes peninsula is magnificent. Here, it´s possible to view several different animal species, for example common seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Common bird species are eider ducks (Somateria mollissima), artic terns (Sterna paradisaea), oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) and black guillemot (Cepphus grylle).
On Vatnsnes peninsula, specific seal watching locations have been developed, where seal wathcing from land is possible and in the village Hvammstangi boat based seal watching is offered.
To be able to enjoy wild life watching also in the future, it is important to minimize our potential impact on the natural behavior of wild animals. Earlier research has indicated that human disturbance may trigger stress responses among wild animals, which may negatively affect their welfare. Human disturbance may in addition, in some cases, cause the animals to move from a specific location to another where the disturbance is less prominent. Therefore, everyone should benefit from trying to find ways to enjoy wildlife watching as much as ever possible, but at the same time have the least possible effect on the behavior of wild animals.
It´s important to keep in mind, that small disturbance may have a great impact on the animals if the disturbance is repeated often, if the number of persons disturbing is big and if the disturbance occur at a sensitive time of the year and/or on a sensitive location.
With that in mind, a code of conduct for visitors, local people and entrepreneurs has been developed in close collaboration with the international project The Wild North (thewildnorth.org). The code is built on the result of a research, in which the effect of tourists on seals was studied, as well as the background and motives of visitors at seal watching locations in this area.
When entering the nature of Vatnsnes, visitors are encouraged to keep the following code of conduct in mind:
2. Visitor code of conduct

2.1 Land based seal and bird watching

• To increase the possibility of wildlife watching in a natural environment in the future, it´s important to have the least possible impact on the animal. Everyone is responsible for keeping disturbance at a minimum level. It is especially important to show the animals and their habitats respect during their breeding and molting periods
• When approaching the animals it is best to walk slowly, with small movements and avoid speaking loudly. Remember that the biggest possibility of observing natural animal behavior occurs when you see the animal before it see you! Remember to leave the area as carefully as you approached it.
• Use binocular and avoid getting to close to wild animals. Do not move faster than walking speed if a nesting bird is closer than 10 meters away.  If possible, use walking paths.
• Remember that the possible negative impact on the animals is likely to increase with the number of people that are located at the seal-watching site. Therefore, everyone should minimize the time they spend watching the animals.
• If the animals show any signs of disturbance (vigilance, alarm calls etc.), it is best to move away from the animals before they leave the area. It is especially important not to scare the birds from their nests or to flush the seals from their haul out site and into the sea.
• Let the animals decide how close to you they want to come. Seals are curious animals and often choose to approach humans. You should never chase/follow wild animals! It is very important to let them move away if they wish to do so.
• Feeding wild animals may be harmful to them and may have a negative effect on their natural behavior.
• Wild animals may be dangerous. For example, seals and birds may carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Therefore, you should never touch a wild animal with your hands or with an object, nor throw something at or towards the animal.
• If you photograph the animals, avoid using the flash on the camera.
• Dogs may have a big negative impact on marine mammals and bird. Therefore, it is not desirable to bring dogs to seal watching sites.
• Remember to leave the environment and nature as you entered it. Garbage should be thrown away in garbage cans and not in the nature!
• If you witness harassment of wild animals in the area, please contact the Icelandic Seal center.

2.2 Boat based seal watching

• Show wild animals and local people respect! It is especially important to show the animals and their habitats respect during their breeding and molding periods.
• To increase the possibility of wildlife watching in a natural environment in the future, it´s important to have the least possible impact on the animal. Everyone is responsible for keeping disturbance at a minimum level.
• If the animals show any signs of disturbance (vigilance etc.), it is best to move away from the animals before they leave the area. It is recommended to behave calmly in the boat at all times and to avoid speaking loudly in the presence of wild animals.
• Seals are curious animals and often chose to approach humans. To get an even better view, binoculars are recommended
• You should never feed wild animals. Feeding wild animals may be harmful to them and may have a negative effect on their natural behavior.
• Wild animals may be dangerous. For example, seals and birds may carry diseases that can transmit to humans. Therefore, you should never touch a wild animal with your hands or with an object, nor throw something at or towards the animal.
• You may photograph the animals, but avoid using the flash on the camera.
• Do not throw anything over board. Remember to leave the environment and nature as you entered it. Garbage should be thrown away in garbage cans and not in the nature!
• If you witness harassment of wild animals in the area, please contact the Icelandic Seal center

3. The entrepreneur code of conduct for Vatnsnes cluster

3.1 The general entrepreneur code of conduct

All companies in the Vatnsnes cluster should;
•  Introduce the code of conduct to visitors that are enjoying wildlife on the companies behalf, encourage them to use the code and to educate visitors and others about the importance of respecting wildlife.
• Prevent visitors from touching wild animals with their hands or with tools and in addition prevent that things are thrown on or against animals.
• Prevent feeding wildlife, as that might harm the animals and may have a negative effect on their natural behavior.
• Prevent the visitors to swim with seals, due to security reasons.
• Remind visitors not to throw garbage into the nature, but to use garbage cans.
• To have an environmentally friendly policy, e.g. regarding garbage sorting. In addition, it is important that garbage cans are accessible on seal watching sites and on board seal watching boats, to avoid that garbage is thrown in the environment.
• If possible, record animal species and number of individuals observed in sightseeing tours.

3.2 Additional code for the seal watching boat

The crew of the seal-watching boat should in addition pay attention to following issues;
• Seal haul out sites are particularly sensitive for disturbance. Haul out sites should be approached from an oblique angle (avoid approaching the haul out site directly). If animals are paying attention to the boat it is possible that the presence of the boat has an impact on the natural behavior of the seals. It is then important to be prepared moving away calmly and quietly from the haul out site.
• Do not get closer to a haul out site than 50 meters. Keep in mind to minimize the time that the boat stops outside a haul out site, in order to have the least possible effect on the animals. The maximum limit is 10-15 minutes in each trip.
• Seals are curious animals and often approach humans. However, the boat should never follow seals that are in the sea. The crew should recommend the visitors to use binoculars to see better, rather than approaching the seals to closely. The crew should hold extra binoculars for the visitors.
• If the animals show any sign of impact from the boat on their natural behavior (e.g. many seals are vigilant and paying attention to the boat), it is important to move away from the haul out site before the animals flush into the sea. The captain is responsible for driving the boat away if the seals show signs of disturbance. The crew should recommend the visitors to behave calmly in the boat at any time and not to speak loudly in the presence of wild animals.
• Prevent to sail between single animals and the rest of the group and thereby separating single animals from the group. In addition it is important to prevent from scaring animals up on land.
• Prevent sudden noise from the engine and sudden changes in direction and speed.
• It is important to keep the engine and other parts of the boat in good condition to minimize noise and oil leaking from the boat.