Professor Clevo Wilson from the Queensland University of Technology says countries including Japan should be compensated for any job or income losses they would incur if they were to stop whaling.

The environmental economics expert says whale-watching tourism businesses should be charged a levy, with the proceeds to be given to countries which stop hunting whales.

"What we are trying to do is compensate those who are giving up on whaling, those who are giving up on jobs. As long as they’re compensated I suppose that they will give up whaling," he said.

"What is the alternative? To got to courts. And even if the courts decide the Japanese shouldn’t hunt whales, surely they will say, ‘Compensate them’.

"I don’t know how much money will have to be pumped in to close down that industry. That’s the cost of conservation."

Professor Wilson says less whaling would mean more whales, with the population increasing and creating new opportunities for more whale-watching businesses.

But Fraser Coast whale watch operators say calls to impose a levy on the industry to save the mammals from hunting would hurt tourism.

Whale watch operator Peter Lynch says an extra levy would have economic consequences for the industry.

"We are doing our bit for conservation because all those who come and see the whales get very passionate about it as well," he said.

"If you put more economic pressures on operators, you might end up with less operators, therefore you get less people seeing the whales and less interest in protecting them."