Ecotourism Expanding In Boston With Ecoventure Cruises

BOSTON, MA — Boston Harbor City Cruises (BHCC) and the New England Aquarium have announced they are teaming up for the new Ecoventure Cruises, which will provide guests with an up-close experience with marine life while protecting the whales that live in Massachusetts Bay.

The boat tours are scheduled to be offered from April 1, until mid-May, with the New England Aquarium Whale Watch launching on May 16.

According to organizers, the Ecoventure Cruise will expand the concept of ecotourism in Boston.

The 2 hour, 30 minute boat trip departs from Boston's Central Wharf. On the cruise, guests will have an opportunity to see an abundance of marine life, including harbor porpoises, dolphins, seals, and seabirds.

In a release, organizers said that out of a shared goal of protecting North Atlantic right whales — an endangered species that is increasingly sighted off Massachusetts in the springtime — the boat tour will remain in coastal habitats closer to the shore and travel at slow speeds.

Organizers said the Whale Watch tours are allowed to begin in mid-May because that's when right whale protections from the U.S. government are lifted for the season. At that time, right whales typically have begun to leave Massachusetts Bay for colder Canadian waters.

"As an ocean conservation organization, we are focused not only on protecting marine animals and habitats, but also with encouraging everyone who uses our ocean to do so in a responsible way," said Vikki Spruill, New England Aquarium president and CEO. "We are excited about this new tour because it puts our values into action, allowing us to continue educating people about marine wildlife while safeguarding the whales."

The Ecovemtire Cruise will feature New England Aquarium naturalists as guides, who will teach passengers about the marine life off Boston's coast.

The tours will touch on conservation success stories like the population rebound of the once nearly extinct Atlantic harbor seal. Additionally, there will be lessons about the transformational clean-up of Boston Harbor and information about how Boston and other coastal cities are preparing for the impacts of climate change.

"We would like to offer an alternative responsible and eco-friendly cruise, while still giving springtime visitors to Boston a chance to get out on the water, see wildlife and witness both the ecological history and experience the present of this truly unique harbor," said Bob Lawler, BHCC's general manager and regional vice president.

Tickets for the Ecoventure Cruise can be purchased online.