Are dolphin-watching boats routes an effective tool for managing tourism in marine protected areas?

Freitas, Diana Carvalho de; Santos, Josivânia Emanuelly Azevedo dos; Silva, Paulo César Moura da; Lunardi, Vitor de Oliveira; Lunardi, Diana Gonçalves

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105782

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To minimize ecological impacts of tour activities, legislating and practicing ecologically friendly codes‐of‐conducts and management rules are necessary to curb unwanted tourist and operator behaviours (Agrawal & Redford, 2006; de Freitas et al, 2021; Westerlaken et al, 2022; Wu et al, 2020). Meanwhile, the tour volume, particularly the trip numbers per day, should be strictly restricted below the sustainable threshold (Westerlaken et al, 2022; Wu et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Traditional management strategies aim to reduce DW impacts through implementing codes of conducts, restricting daily DW trips and limiting DW operators (de Freitas et al, 2021; Westerlaken et al, 2022; Wu et al, 2020). Effectiveness of such management tactics, however, could be subject to fishers' reluctance and trigger local conflicts particularly in poor communities (de Freitas et al, 2021; Westerlaken et al, 2022; Wu et al, 2020; Wu et al, 2022). The adaptive management strategy that raises DW ticket fee and maximize the tourist number per trip could help in adoption of DW regulation measures (Schwoerer et al, 2016; Westerlaken et al, 2022; Wu et al, 2020), but still depends on the issue whether or not the DW income can exceed fishing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a variety of marine ecotourism ventures, watching cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in their habitats has been rapidly developing worldwide in the past decades (Chazot et al, 2020;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2010;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2013;Cunningham et al, 2012;Higham et al, 2016) and becomes one highly popular and profitable ecotourism industry (Chazot et al, 2020;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2010;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2013;Cook et al, 2020;Mustika et al, 2012;Parsons et al, 2003;Schwoerer et al, 2016). In cetacean conservation, dolphin watching (DW) are frequently proposed to artisanal fishers as a CBME plan to reduce local fishing effort and hence trammel/gill-net bycatch on cetaceans (D'Agrosa, Lennert-Cody & Vidal, 2000;Cusack et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2022), instead of replacing destructive fishing methods with eco-friendly ones that still harvest marine biological resources (Aburto-Oropeza et al, 2018). In this context, DW is regarded as the full replacement of fisheries that fishers would surrender their fishing gears, so called the 'exit-fishing' policy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Replacing artisanal fisheries with dolphin watching: Strategy for conservation and sustainable community‐based marine ecotourism

Wu,

Luo,

Huang

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In coastal delphinid conservation, dolphin watching (DW) is frequently proposed for artisanal fishers as a community‐based marine ecotourism (CBME) plan to reduce fishing effort and delphinid bycatch. Questions including whether DW profitability is sufficient to replace fishing and whether fishers can conduct DW sustainably, however, are rarely examined. In the present study, questionnaire targeting tourists was implemented to investigate DW profitability in Sanniang Bay, China where DW‐based CBME has been operated by local fishers since 2004. CBME sustainability was evaluated by comparing DW profitability with household income with reference to local poverty, and rural and economically comfortable families in China. Out of 1046 tourists interviewed, 40 (3.82%) tourists knew there is DW in Sanniang Bay, while 292 (27.9%) tourists were lured to attend DW with low pricing. The fisher earned 110RMB (ca. 16.0$USD) per DW trip and required two, four, and nine trips per day to earn household income higher than poverty, rural and economically comfortable lines. Raising ticket fee and maximizing per‐trip number of tourists can substantially improve DW profitability, which facilitates CBME sustainability and poses minimal impacts on target animals. CBME in rural areas could be trapped into low popularity–low pricing–low profitability embarrassments because of primitive tour facilities, insufficient ecological education value, poor hospitality skills and lacking marketing access. The sustainable CBME should incorporate ecologically friendly conducts, direct indigenous profits with minimal transaction costs, venture and service diversification, and marketing with indigenous cultural characteristics. DW history in Sanniang Bay further indicates profit distribution of tourism ventures directly influence CBME sustainability. Accordingly, indigenous rights, economic equity and social justice should be centrally placed in CBME policying with the minimal intervention from non‐indigenous capitals and commercialized manipulations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Replacing artisanal fisheries with dolphin watching: Strategy for conservation and sustainable community‐based marine ecotourism

Wu,

Luo,

Huang

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hotspots of dolphin occurrence (Mucuripe Harbour, Ideal breakwater, Iracema Beach, and Marine Park; Meirelles, 2013) should be considered, where a speed limit of 7 knots should be imposed and where gill nets and trawling would not be allowed. Dolphin‐watching activities should also be regulated in the MPA, considering the rules proposed in the Tibau do Sul Coastal Wildlife Reserve (Freitas et al, 2021), thereby reducing the impact of tourism vessels on dolphin behaviour. Additionally, awareness campaigns with fishers should encourage by‐catch reporting and prevent negative attitudes toward the dolphins caused by gear damage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and effect of health status on apparent survival of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, in an open embayment in north‐eastern Brazil

Meirelles

Choi‐Lima²,

Nova³

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) inhabit shallow waters of the tropical western Atlantic, an area that is now mostly occupied by cities and harbours. Demographic studies have been concentrated in sheltered areas of south/south-eastern Brazil.2. This study investigated site fidelity and estimated population abundance and apparent survival of Guiana dolphins in Mucuripe Embayment (ME), on the northeastern Brazilian coast, through photo-identification surveys and closed and open population mark-recapture models, from October 2009 to September 2011.3. Forty-six Guiana dolphin groups were recorded (in groups of between one and eight dolphins, with a mean ± SD of 3.49 ± 2.33) in 27 out of 40 surveys. Twentyfive animals were photo-identified, with eight considered to have a 'poor health' status. The standardized site fidelity index (SSFI) was low (0.25).4. Using the program CAPTURE, the time and heterogeneity model (M th ) resulted in a total abundance estimate of 39, with a Coefficient of Variation (CV) of 21% (95% CI 35-80%). In PROGRAM MARK, model averaging resulted in a total abundance estimate of 33 (CV 32%, 95% CI 30-100%). Using a CV of 21%, the power to detect a decline of 50% during the study period was 0.44 and the power to detect a decline of 5% a year was 0.11. To detect these declines with a 0.90 power, 12 years of monitoring would be necessary.5. The annual adult apparent survival rate was low (0.71; CV 19%; 95% CI 0.40-0.90), and differed for dolphins in 'good' (0.64; CV 28%, 95% CI 0.27-0.89) and 'poor' (0.85; CV 22%; 95% CI: 0.23-0.99) health.6. The low abundance of Guiana dolphins in ME indicates that conservation actions should start immediately, such as creating a marine protected area, continuing awareness campaigns, using by-catch reduction technologies, developing new regulations, and promoting law enforcement. Monitoring studies must continue with increased effort to reduce uncertainty in estimates and to improve the power to detect trends of decline.

show abstract

Sustainability in whale-watching: A literature review and future research directions based on regenerative tourism

Suárez-Rojas

Hernández

León

2023

Tourism Management Perspectives

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Are dolphin-watching boats routes an effective tool for managing tourism in marine protected areas?

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

Replacing artisanal fisheries with dolphin watching: Strategy for conservation and sustainable community‐based marine ecotourism

Replacing artisanal fisheries with dolphin watching: Strategy for conservation and sustainable community‐based marine ecotourism

Abundance and effect of health status on apparent survival of Guiana dolphins, Sotalia guianensis, in an open embayment in north‐eastern Brazil

Sustainability in whale-watching: A literature review and future research directions based on regenerative tourism

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About