Whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: managing tourism in an Australian marine protected area

Davis, Derrin; Banks, Simon A.; Birtles, Alastair; Valentine, Peter; Cuthill, Michael

doi:10.1016/s0261-5177(97)00015-0

Cited by 148 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For wildlife tourism too, they are important tools in minimising the negative impacts of tourism on wildlife. Education and interpretation increase visitor satisfaction as well as positively influencing their attitudes to conservation (Davis et al, 1997;Higginbottom & Buckley, 2003;orams, 1996).…”

Section: Discussion Industry Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Tours in Australia: Characteristics, the Place of Science and Sustainable Futures

Rodger

Moore

Newsome

2007

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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Wildlife tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors worldwide. Across the world the number of tourists seeking close interaction with wildlife in their natural environment is growing. Understanding the interface between visitors (social) and wildlife (environmental) can make a critical contribution to the sustainability of this industry. This study examined wildlife tours in Australia. Questionnaires were posted to wildlife tour operators in Tasmania, Western Australia and Northern Territory, seeking information on the characteristics of tours, and the place of science and monitoring in their business. The results illustrate several similarities between wildlife and ecotourism, suggesting the benefits of increasing education and interpretation, both central features of ecotourism, to enhancing the sustainability of wildlife tourism. For tour operators, interactive activities included feeding, swimming with and touching wildlife, and the level of interaction was identified as high, making it imperative to better define interaction and develop species or group-specific protocols for sustainably managing these interactions. Lastly, this study showed a low level of engagement of scientists in protecting the wildlife of interest to tours. Given the centrality of science to sustainability, mechanisms for increasing this involvement particularly in impact research, through partnerships and other means, are critical for the long term sustainability of this industry.

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Section: Discussion Industry Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Tours in Australia: Characteristics, the Place of Science and Sustainable Futures

Rodger

Moore

Newsome

2007

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

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“…The author surmised that whale sharks were feeding on a dense zooplankton bloom that resulted from the coral spawn (Taylor 1996). The predictable aggregation of whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef has become the basis for a multimillion dollar tourism industry (Davis et al 1997). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whale sharks Rhincodon typus aggregate to feed on fish spawn in Belize

Heyman¹,

Graham²,

Kjerfve³

et al. 2001

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

236

198

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This study confirms reports by fishermen of a large and predictable aggregation of whale sharks Rhincodon typus along the Belize Barrier Reef. Although whale sharks are rarely sighted at this location during most of the year, we counted as many as 25 whale sharks in a 50 m diameter area on 1 occasion and tagged 6 sharks during a 22 min period on another. The whale shark aggregation coincides seasonally and temporally with a multispecies reef-fish spawning aggregation at a reef promontory, Gladden Spit, at sunset, during the full and last-quarter moon periods of April and May each year. We report here, for the first time, that whale sharks feed on the freshly released spawn of cubera snappers Lutjanus cyanopterus and dog snappers L. jocu (Lutjanidae), and have documented the phenomenon with still and digital video photography of hundreds of feeding events. There is consensus locally that this remarkable interaction is in need of immediate protection from overfishing of snappers and unregulated tourism development. Our continued investigations are providing management recommendations for a new marine reserve at the site.

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“…Whale sharks aggregate predictably at this locality from March to June each year (Taylor 1996, Wilson et al 2001, a phenomenon that is the basis of an ecotourism industry of great importance to the local economy of the region (Davis et al 1997, Davis 1998. Observers have taken photographs of individual sharks participating in the aggregation for the last 12 yr (1992 to 1996, 2002 to 2004) and these photographs now form a library for photo-identification studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population size and structure of whale sharks Rhincodon typus at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Meekan¹,

Bradshaw²,

Press³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

166

222

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We used photo-identification to produce estimates of population size and structure of whale sharks Rhincodon typus at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. We analysed photographs of whale sharks taken from 1992 to 2004. A combination of spot and stripe patterns behind the last gill slit and forward of the dorsal fin (lateral view), and distinctive scars and marks on the body and fins were useful for identifying individual sharks. These patterns appeared to be unique to individuals and distinctive markings could be recognized on some sharks for more than a decade. From 581 photographs, 159 individuals were identified. Of these, 74% were male, 16% were female and 10% were of indeterminate gender. Photographed sharks ranged in estimated size from 3 to 10 m total length (TL). The size distribution of sharks was bimodal with a large peak at 8 m and a smaller peak at 6 m TL. Sixty individuals were resighted during the study. Of these, 46 were resighted at different times during the same year (sometimes on multiple occasions) up to 4 mo after they were initially photographed, and 33 were resighted (4 on > 2 occasions) in different years. The interval between inter-annual resightings was typically 1 to 3 yr; however, 2 sharks were resighted after a period of 12 yr. We estimated the super population of whale sharks that visit Ningaloo Reef to consist of approximately 300 to 500 individuals (95% confidence interval) based on closed population models, or 320 to 440 based on Jolly-Seber open-population models. Our study shows that photo-identification offers a practical, non-invasive and non-destructive means to obtain data on the population size and demography of whale sharks.

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Whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: managing tourism in an Australian marine protected area

Cited by 148 publications

References 8 publications

Wildlife Tours in Australia: Characteristics, the Place of Science and Sustainable Futures

Wildlife Tours in Australia: Characteristics, the Place of Science and Sustainable Futures

Whale sharks Rhincodon typus aggregate to feed on fish spawn in Belize

Population size and structure of whale sharks Rhincodon typus at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

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