Whale watching, the activity of sighting cetaceans in their natural habitat, and the basis of tourism industries worldwide, has been growing in the last decades. Although the growth of the industry has been beneficial in economic terms for the communities in countries where the activity takes place (Guidino et al., 2020), there is a great concern about how whale watching may negatively impact the behavior and physiology of the species being observed (Senigaglia et al., 2016) or even compromise their survival (Barragán-Barrera et al., 2017). There is a significant history of research on the impacts of whale watching due to the need to provide a scientific basis for regulations that seek to ensure the welfare of the species targeted by the industry (Corkeron, 1995; Parsons and Brown, 2018; Gleason and Parsons, 2019). Optimal management allowing sustainable whale watching remains a challenge for most countries. Lack of regulations, or guidelines not being followed by tour operators, are commonly reported (Higham et al., 2009). Failure to follow regulations is related to poor governmental monitoring, competition between operators for ensuring profit and, in some instances, lack of self-organization among operators. Currently, understanding site-specific idiosyncrasies of governance is crucial to minimize the negative impacts of whale and dolphin watching, including in countries with well-established regulations.