The French mainland has coasts on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Channel, while its overseas territories span temperate, tropical and even polar and sub polar waters around the globe. Together these areas offer a widely varying range of opportunities for whale and dolphin watching involving different species, habitats and whale-watching platforms.
All cetacean species are protected by French law (public ordinance (arrêté) of July 1st, 2011), which details the list of marine mammals protected under French law, and whale-watching activities specifically are regulated in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. These sanctuaries are contiguous with several other national whale sanctuaries in the southern Pacific Ocean, thus creating a vast region where collaboration in cetacean conservation and research can be facilitated. In 2006, France, along with several other Pacific countries, has signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the conservation of cetaceans and their habitats in the Pacific islands region, under the CMS (Convention for the protection of Migratory Species).
The French mainland has coasts on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Channel, while its overseas territories span temperate, tropical and even polar and sub polar waters around the globe. Together these areas offer a widely varying range of opportunities for whale and dolphin watching involving different species, habitats and whale-watching platforms.