Diver Eco-Tourism and the Behavior of Reef Sharks and Rays

[Gene_Hobbs]

We recently posted this paper to the RR Repository and I thought you guys might find the comments interesting:

This paper addresses the issue of the expanding tourist dive industry that is focused on seeing sharks and other elasmobranchs. The two competing approaches involve baiting and feeding sharks and rays verses natural observations without feeding. In terms of shark feeding dive operations, there are two main questions: 1) How safe are divers on tourist operations that attract sharks and rays using bait? 2) How is the fish's behavior and ecology being affected by this interaction? The broader issue is: what is the best practice in terms of conservation and ecology? I offer some observations on shark behavior and suggestions for future scientific research.

Full paper can be found here:

Lobel PS. Diver Eco-Tourism and the Behavior of Reef Sharks and Rays an Overview. In: Brueggeman P, Pollock NW, eds. Diving for Science 2008. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 27th Symposium. Dauphin Island, AL: AAUS; 2008. RRR ID: 8012


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[Matt83]

The divers who partake in shark feeding activities are supprisingly safe. Compare the numbers to divers who die from entering overhead environments. Or divers who descend past 130ft. I think you see where I'm going with this.