The avid environmentalist has played a role in helping to boost the world’s whale population from about 1800, as recorded in 1996, to the 25,000 that has so far been recorded in 2016.

It all started in 1996 when Mr Future and business partner Yves Papin launched what they say was NSW’s first whale watching business, Imagine Cruises.

“Of course it was quite difficult,” Mr Future said. “People weren't used to whale watching in NSW back then. We had a very lucky break because, when were out there in June 1996, we first sighted Migaloo.

“I certainly didn’t know a white whale existed, not many people did. He was pretty young then, about seven years old. We got some video footage of the sighting, which we offered to [television news station] NBN.

“Of course they took it up. It went around Australia and the world. And the phone started ringing the next day. I owe my business to him. I’m not sure if we would have made it through the winter without him.”

A Migaloo sighting in 2009, when the global financial crisis was taking its toll on the tourism industry, also helped Imagine Cruises stay afloat.

The 1996 Migaloo encounter led environmental organisation Greenpeace to Mr Future’s door, who were looking for help in bringing whaling to an end.

It was Greenpeace that, in 2000, donated the white whale that greets people on their way into Nelson Bay to Imagine Cruises.

The plastic whale, originally pink, was painted white as a throw to Migaloo which has played a big part in Imagine Cruises’ business during the past 21 years.

While running his small tourism business, Mr Future worked with Greenpeace and for 10 years travelled to international meetings to advocate that whale watching was the only legitimate commercial industry that would also sustain the population of the mammals.

“I think it helped open the industry up internationally,” Mr Future said. “Whale watching became quite a high profile industry and it helped Nelson Bay and other little coastal communities around the world establish tourism industries.

“In the winter when tourism was very quiet for the coastal towns like Nelson Bay, a lot of people in the marine industry had to sail their boat somewhere else. Now, pretty much tourism goes all year round. And in some major part it has to do with whales and dolphins.”

It is for that reason that Mr Future is dedicated to protecting the Port Stephens marine park, often advocating and lobbying government officials on proposals that could harm the area’s natural assets.

The latest fight he has taken up is against Huon Aquaculture’s fish farm, which is due to be installed in Providence Bay between Cabbage Tree and Broughton islands.

Mr Future said he did not think all aquaculture is bad, but it was a topic the entire community needed to discuss.