Assessment of Boaters’ Knowledge About Laws Around Marine Mammals
The need:
Marine mammals off the coast of British Columbia are at risk of disturbances from recreational boaters, such as vessel strikes and entanglement. There have also been substantial human injuries as a result of collisions with marine mammals over the last decade. The Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) launched a media campaign called “See a Blow? Go Slow!” to educate recreational boaters about laws and best practices around marine mammals in BC coastal waters. MERS wanted to assess the effectiveness of this campaign, as well as boaters’ general knowledge about such regulations and practices.
What we did:
MERS commissioned Catalyst to lead a coast-wide survey of recreational boaters to assess impacts of the campaign and their general knowledge about marine mammal regulations. A multi-faceted approach was used to obtain a robust response from over 3,000 boaters, such as social media advertisements to promote the survey and on-the-ground data collection at marinas. Findings from the survey are being used by MERS and their organizational partners to inform future educational activities and advocate for changes to the laws and best practices around marine mammals in BC.
Services:
Environmental Scan
Outcome Evaluation
Impact Areas:
Environmental issues
