Spatiotemporal modelling for policy analysis: Application to sustainable management of whale-watching activities

► We use a modelling approach to analyze new whale-watching policies in a marine park. ► The 3MTSim model simulates boat and whale movements in the St. Lawrence River, Canada. ► 3MTSim outputs ecological, economic, and societal costs/benefits for a given policy. ► The new policies are expected to improve both ecological and societal benefits. ► Models can quantify in advance policy (side-)effects in complex marine systems.