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Basic biolgoical parameters can be difficult to measure in cetacean poulatons due to the extensive field effort required to amass necessary data. Commercial whalewatching operations perform daily excursions into prime whale haibtats and therefore provide an opportunity to collect data at a frequency that is rarely feasible through direted reserach. These platforms have a wide variety of applications, but are particualry valuable in the accumulation of individual-specific data that are necessary to quantify biological parameters , such as reproductive rates. Tehy may also serve as a valuable foundation for directed reserach by contributeing data, like age, that can be difficult or impossible to acquire in the short-term. However, samping biases and inefficiencies resulting from teh commercial operation of a whalewhatching platform can limit their usefulness, particularly over short time frames. Furthermore, the large volume of opportunistic data obtained can be costly to manage and use effectively. The most useful programs will therefore require a commitment of tme and resources to sustain them in the long term.