Observations of marine wildlife tourism effects on a non-focal species

J R Rizzari; J M Semmens; A Fox; C Huveneers

doi:10.1111/jfb.13389

Observations of marine wildlife tourism effects on a non-focal species

J Fish Biol. 2017 Sep;91(3):981-988. doi: 10.1111/jfb.13389. Epub 2017 Jul 30.

Authors

J R Rizzari^{1

2}, J M Semmens², A Fox³, C Huveneers⁴

Affiliations

¹ Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
² Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
³ Fox Shark Research Foundation, Adelaide, South Australia 5070, Australia.
⁴ College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia.

PMID: 28758213
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13389

Abstract

A radio-acoustic positioning system was used to assess the effects of shark cage-diving operators (SCDO) on the fine-scale movements of a non-focal species, the smooth stingray Bathytoshia brevicaudata. The results revealed that the time spent in the array was individually variable, but generally increased when SCDO were present and that the presence of SCDO may have the capacity to elicit changes in the space use of B. brevicaudata. These results indicate that the effects of marine wildlife tourism may extend beyond the focal species of interest.

Keywords: acoustic telemetry; ecotourism; elasmobranchs; movement; rays; shark diving.

MeSH terms

Animals
Behavior, Animal*
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Recreation*
Sharks*
Skates, Fish*
Travel