An international whale watching conference, organised by Iceland's Whale Watching Association "Icewhale" and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was held in Selfoss, South-western Iceland from the 12^th - 14^th of March 2008. It was attended by people from Australia, Germany, Norway, Venezuela, USA, Brazil, UK, Italy, Azores, Spain and Iceland, working in the whale watching industry, Non-governmental Organisations and the scientific field. The topics discussed at the conference addressed various aspects including the economic side of whale watching, research and education on board of whale watching vessels, the sustainability of whale watching and conservation issues as well as the growth of the whale watching industry in Iceland.
All participants showed great interest and a network of contacts amongst the attendees has been established. This enables the operators from across the globe to share experiences and may be a first step towards the establishment of an international whale watching association in the future.