A new study published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism finds frequent rule-breaking by tour boats and swimmers at El Azul, a 400-square-kilometre whale shark aggregation site off the Yucatán coast. The research, led by the University of South Florida with coauthors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Manitoba, used drone footage from 2016 and 2022 to document boat movements, swimmer interactions and numbers of sharks feeding at the surface. Lucas Griffin was the senior author and began the project after observing chaotic tour behaviour on a family trip.
Whale sharks, which can reach nearly 60 feet long, feed at the surface and are vulnerable to disturbance. Mexican regulations then allowed one boat per shark, only two swimmers and one guide in the water, and required people to remain at least five metres from the shark's head and tail. The researchers recorded hundreds of violations, including boats approaching too close, swimmers touching animals and crowding within prohibited distances.
Infractions grew as more boats arrived, and they also rose when dozens of sharks fed together. In those situations, vessels spread out and each pursued individual animals, which reduced mutual oversight and allowed peer-pressure enforcement among operators to break down. Violations were common even below the regulatory cap of 120 vessels: drones recorded a maximum of 82 boats in 2016 and 68 in 2022. A single patrol boat made little difference because vessels were spread over a large area and swimmers often did not know enforcement was nearby. Large shipping vessels can also strike sharks, though the extent of that impact is still under study.
The authors note that local communities depend on whale shark tourism and that demand has grown since the early 2000s. They say government enforcement helps but is not sufficient. Their recommendations include stronger self-regulation by guides and operators, better monitoring such as drones, and longer-term investment. The research team is now testing accelerometer-based tags to measure how disturbances affect sharks' energy use and health.
Difficult words
- aggregation — grouping of animals in one area
- vulnerable — easily harmed or disturbed by outside factors
- infraction — action that breaks a rule or lawInfractions
- enforcement — action of making people follow rules
- oversight — supervision to ensure rules are followed
- self-regulation — industry or group managing its own behaviour
- accelerometer-based — using motion sensors to measure animal movement
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might stronger self-regulation by guides reduce rule-breaking at aggregation sites? Give one or two examples.
- What are the possible benefits and drawbacks of using drones for monitoring tourism interactions with wildlife?
- How could local communities balance the economic benefits of whale shark tourism with the need to protect the animals?
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