Monitoring the effects of tourism on whale shark<i>Rhincodon typus</i>behaviour in Mozambique

Haskell, Peter J.; McGowan, Andrew; Westling, Anna; Mendez-Jimenez, Adriana; Rohner, Christoph A.; Collins, Kym; Rosero-Caicedo, Marcela; Salmond, Jodi; Monadjem, Ara; Marshall, Andrea D.; Pierce, Simon J.

doi:10.1017/s0030605313001257

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…The overall sighting rate for tourist trips at the site was 74%. This is comparable with Mozambique between 2008 and 2010 where success rate was 77% (Haskell et al, ), and to Belize between 1998 and 2003 where success rate was 69% (Graham & Roberts, ). Tourist trips are, however, based on previous days' sightings as reported by local fishermen, researchers and tour operators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Despite the short‐term behavioural changes reported here, interference with reproduction, which is thought to occur at >8 m in whale sharks (Norman & Stevens, ), is unlikely to occur. Whale sharks at Panaon Island do show a degree of residency (Araujo et al, ), unlike whale sharks at Utila, Honduras (Fox et al, ), or Tofo, Mozambique (Haskell et al, ). While disturbance by tourism activities could affect residency or site fidelity, no such apparent effects were observed during this study with 44 whale sharks encountered on at least five different occasions, and at least 20 individuals encountered on 10 different occasions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The number of swimmers, paddleboats and motorized vessels were recorded within 4 m, and within 20 m of the whale shark. An ethogram based on available literature and authors' observations (Haskell et al, ; Norman, ; Pierce et al, ; Quiros, ; Schleimer et al, ) was created (Table ) and behaviours recorded. Human events observed are summarized in Table .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An interaction ended when the whale shark was out of sight (OS), when the researcher started an interaction with another whale shark, or when the researcher had to exit the water. Total interaction time was therefore the amount of time the shark was in sight of the researcher, as proposed by Haskell et al ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the impacts of tourism on the world's largest fish Rhincodon typus at Panaon Island, Southern Leyte, Philippines

Araújo

Vivier

Labaja

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Shark-based tourism is a rapidly growing industry, particularly with whale sharks, as new hotspots are identified worldwide. Understanding any impacts of tourism is essential to minimize any potential detrimental effects on the target species and habitat.2. In-water behavioural observations of whale sharks were used to understand any impacts of tourism at a small site in Panaon Island, Southern Leyte, Philippines. A generalized linear mixed model was fitted to test anthropogenic and environmental variables, with interaction duration as the response variable, to assess any disturbance to the animals by the tourism activities.3. Whale sharks were observed between the months of November and June between 2013 and 2016, with highly variable seasons. In total, 527 tourist-whale shark interactions were recorded during 359 trips identifying 104 individual whale sharks, most of which were juvenile males (85%, measuring c. 5.5 m total length). Proximity of motorized vessels and interactions in deeper waters were found to significantly shorten interactions. Short-term behavioural changes were observed in response to human events (e.g. touching). Interactions when whale sharks were feeding were significantly longer than when they were not. Individual behavioural variability was observed.4. Impacts could be mitigated with small managerial changes and increased enforcement, such as limiting the number of motorized vessels and the number of people around the whale sharks.Although no long-term impacts were recorded during this study, it is difficult to ascertain this in a long-lived, wide-ranging species.5. This knowledge gap highlights the need to build long-term monitoring programmes, and to apply the precautionary principle for the sustainable use of this endangered species. KEYWORDS behavioural observations, ethogram, mixed effects models, Philippines, tourism management, whale shark

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the impacts of tourism on the world's largest fish Rhincodon typus at Panaon Island, Southern Leyte, Philippines

Araújo

Vivier

Labaja

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Divers also impact shark behaviour (Haskell et al, 2015;Vianna et al, 2014), which may skew observations (inflate or deflate bias; Ward-Paige et al, 2010a). This is an issue that needs to be considered with any sampling strategy.…”

Section: Caveatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

eOceans dive-logs for science and conservation: a case study of sharks in Thailand

Ward-Paige

Westell

Sing

2018

Preprint

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Many marine animals around the world are threatened by a variety of anthropogenic activities, yet there is often a paucity of data to monitor patterns in abundance and distribution or to evaluate human interventions. The new citizen science program eOceans helps to fill this gap by gathering observations of various marine animals from worldwide ocean explorers. In 2012, a dedicated Thailand-wide census of sharks, and other animals, began as collaboration between eOceans scientists and the dive tourism industry. Using the observations from 9,524 dives (9,357 hours underwater) logged by >169 divers on 153 sites, we describe the spatial and temporal patterns of sharks in coastal Thailand. A total of 12 shark species were encountered, most commonly (67%) as individuals, and were observed on 11% of all dives, on 59% of sites, in all months and years. The two most frequently encountered species were blacktip reef (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and leopard sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum). Many species had peak encounter rates in summer, but aggregated in various seasons in different years. Mating events and nursery sites were observed rarely, and only for blacktip reef and whitetip reef (Triaenodon obesus) sharks. These results could be of value to species-or region-specific biologists, ecologists and fisheries scientists, as well as to managers and policy makers that could use the findings to monitor future trends and prioritize conservation strategies. Moreover, this study highlights the value that collaborative eOceans citizen science projects could have in support of marine science, management and conservation efforts worldwide.

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Scarring patterns of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, at a provisioning site in the Philippines

Penketh

Schleimer

Labaja

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

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Shark‐based tourism continues to be a rapidly growing industry, and thus understanding the impacts of such activities is essential to mitigate the potential negative effects on the target species. The consequences of provisioning on whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are not fully understood, although changes to the local environment, ecology, behaviour, and site visitation patterns have been highlighted. Here, the scarring patterns of whale sharks were investigated at a provisioning site in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines, as an indicator of the physical impacts of tourism activities on individual sharks. Photographic identification was used to attribute scars to individual animals (n = 152) between March 31, 2012 and January 31, 2015. Scars were categorized by type and body location, and were compared with non‐provisioned aggregations in Australia, Mozambique, and Seychelles. Oslob whale sharks were more scarred than other studied populations, with 94.7% (n = 144) having at least one scar, and with 90.8% (n = 138) having more than one scar. Scarring incidence was found to be significantly higher in sharks that regularly visited the provisioning site, and analysis of scarring over time in highly resident sharks showed that all individuals gained scars through periods of consistent re‐sightings. A significantly higher incidence of minor scar types was found, most commonly on the dorsal side of the animal, probably resulting from sustained proximity to boats and ropes throughout the provisioning activities. The consequences of interactions with propeller boats were observed, despite a ban on their use in the provisioning site, highlighting the risk to the species beyond the study site. We recommend the strict enforcement of a minimum distance between boats and sharks, a zero‐contact policy during interactions, the expansion of the provisioning site, and the implementation of a no‐boat‐access zone around the perimeter of the provisioning site to mitigate potential collisions.

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Monitoring the effects of tourism on whale sharkRhincodon typusbehaviour in Mozambique

Cited by 39 publications

References 40 publications

Assessing the impacts of tourism on the world's largest fish Rhincodon typus at Panaon Island, Southern Leyte, Philippines

Assessing the impacts of tourism on the world's largest fish Rhincodon typus at Panaon Island, Southern Leyte, Philippines

eOceans dive-logs for science and conservation: a case study of sharks in Thailand

Scarring patterns of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, at a provisioning site in the Philippines

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