Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association (WCBIA) members are active in the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). Member vessels are ECO Certified and audited by ECO Tourism Australia to ensure the highest standards of management practices on-board including training of staff and education of passengers are maintained. Each year, many thousands of guests finish their voyage of the Whitsundays with a better appreciation of the marine park.
WCBIA member companies also assist with research conducted in the GBRMP by conducting weekly monitoring, including water visibility, water temperature, coral health and marine sightings. The results are collated and forwarded to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Eye on the Reef monitoring program.
WCBIA members provide vessels free of charge to scientists and researchers so that they can perform research, including groups such as Reef Check Australia who aim to foster amongst the population a genuine sense of collective stewardship for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Vessels are also made available free of charge to perform Crown of Thorn Starfish (COTS) eradication on the Whitsunday Reefs, while Airlie Beach based marine tourism crews volunteer their time to travel out to the reefs and perform lethal injections on the COTS.
