Love
doesn't hurt - ecotourism has no long-term effect on whale sharks
December 2012. Whale shark ecotourism is a rapidly growing industry throughout the world. Although conservationists argue that this type of business is "win-win" - providing an alternative to the harvest of these animals by fishermen, and governments with strong economic incentives to protect the vulnerable species - there are some concerns that tourists swimming with the sharks may have negative effects on these animals.
No
affect when well regulated
The first multi-year study to investigate this issue suggests that ecotourism - when well-regulated - does not affect whale sharks. According to the research, which was conducted over five years at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, sharks that frequently encounter tourists are just as likely to return to the reef as sharks that only interact with a few humans.
The first multi-year study to investigate this issue suggests that ecotourism - when well-regulated - does not affect whale sharks. According to the research, which was conducted over five years at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, sharks that frequently encounter tourists are just as likely to return to the reef as sharks that only interact with a few humans.
Ningaloo
Reef study
Between 1993 and 2011, the number of whale shark tourists at Ningaloo increased rapidly from 1,000 to 17,000 so that today, the industry generates around $6 million dollars each winter season for the region. "Our research shows that the code of conduct used by the Department of Environment and Conservation to protect whale sharks is very effective with no detectable impacts of tourists on their aggregation behaviour at Ningaloo across years," says lead author Rob Sanzogni, based at the University of Western Australia in Perth and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
Between 1993 and 2011, the number of whale shark tourists at Ningaloo increased rapidly from 1,000 to 17,000 so that today, the industry generates around $6 million dollars each winter season for the region. "Our research shows that the code of conduct used by the Department of Environment and Conservation to protect whale sharks is very effective with no detectable impacts of tourists on their aggregation behaviour at Ningaloo across years," says lead author Rob Sanzogni, based at the University of Western Australia in Perth and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
"The
research, which was funded by Apache Energy Ltd and supported by the Western Australian
Department of Environment and Conservation, suggests that Ningaloo's ecotourism
industry, at least in its current form, is ecologically sustainable into the
future" says Dr Mark Meekan, Principal Research Scientist with the
Australian Institute of Marine Science and a co-author of the study. He hopes
that this research will provide a blueprint for similar work on the impact of
ecotourism on marine megafauna such as manta rays and whales on the Australian
coast. Meekan notes "we can't rest here - we need to keep these long-term
studies going so that we can ensure that we will have these iconic and
spectacular animals to enjoy on our coasts for the foreseeable future".
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