The Department of Conservation's principal approach to monitoring compliance has been to randomly place staff incognito on boats and aircraft. The regulations have evolved through a long process of consultation, research and review. As further research is undertaken and more is learnt about the interactions of humans and marine mammals, further fine tuning of the regulations will undoubtedly occur.
Many questions remain unanswered, however, about the long-term effects of marine mammal watching.
The assessment of possible longer-term, cumulative impacts remains a challenge for the future.