{"title":"RECENT ADVANCES IN WHALE WATCHING RESEARCH: 2019–2020","authors":"Chelsea Gray, Alicia R. Schuler, E. Parsons","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16497485866411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16497485866411","url":null,"abstract":"Whale watching research encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and fields of study, from monitoring the biological impacts of whale watching activities on cetaceans and assessments of the effectiveness of whale watching management and regulations, to the sociological and economic aspects of whale watching. This article is the latest in a series of annual digests, which describes the variety and findings of whale watching studies published over the past year, from June 2019 to May 2020.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conservation or Degradation? Assessing The Behaviour of Underwater Photographers in Italian Marine Protected Areas","authors":"Yann Toso, S. Lucrezi, C. Cerrano","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16609069005675","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16609069005675","url":null,"abstract":"Underwater photography is increasing in popularity. It can have positive effects such as conservation awareness and citizen science. Often, however, photographers neglect good environmental practices and engage in potentially damaging behaviours to the marine environment. The management of underwater photography is particularly relevant in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where uses of the marine environment need to be carefully balanced. This study aimed to assess and compare underwater photographers’ and non-photographers’ knowledge of codes of conduct in MPAs, as well as self-reported and observed compliance with these codes of conduct, and perceptions of the health of the marine environment including dive sites. Through direct observations and questionnaires, 84 divers were studied in three Italian MPAs in the summer of 2021. The difference between underwater photographers and non-photographers was stark, with the former being more likely to violate MPA rules compared to the latter. There was no difference in knowledge of the effects of their behaviour on the marine environment between underwater photographers and non-photographers. Our results can help provide management considerations to reduce the impacts of underwater photography. Awareness campaigns, pre-dive briefings and the promotion of low-impact underwater photography courses can help to limit unsustainable underwater behaviours among underwater photographers. Effective regulation of underwater photography can increase the carrying capacity of dive sites and have positive environmental and economic effects on MPAs and diving destinations.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unexpected Vulnerabilities: Synthesis of Cetacean Vulnerability to Whale Watching in the Caribbean","authors":"A. B. Raschke","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16456486654654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16456486654654","url":null,"abstract":"Whale watching (WW) has the potential to support cetacean conservation through environmental education, and by providing economic incentives to maintain cetacean populations. In order for positive, sustainable outcomes to be fully realized, however, the industry should be designed to prevent and mitigate its negative impacts on cetaceans. Industry growth is outpacing context and species-specific research, necessitating analyses of the current knowledge-base to guide the present development of WW. The Caribbean is a key region for such research due to the scale, growth rate, and variety of WW options. An index of Caribbean cetacean vulnerability to the known negative impacts of WW was developed using an in-depth literature review, as such an index could be used to inform WW decision-making at both industry and regulatory levels in conjunction with context-specific data. This analysis revealed that both target and non-target species are vulnerable to the negative impacts of whale watching, and highlights the urgent need for species-specific regulations and heightened caution surrounding WW observation of calves and during breeding seasons.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Hockenhull, S. Rogers, H. Eckman, Matthew Payne
{"title":"Using the COM-B model to explore the reasons people attended SeaWorld San Diego between 2015 and 2019","authors":"J. Hockenhull, S. Rogers, H. Eckman, Matthew Payne","doi":"10.3727/10.3727/154427322x16532010643135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/10.3727/154427322x16532010643135","url":null,"abstract":"The documentary Blackfish raised public awareness of captive cetacean welfare and concerns over attractions exhibiting orcas. Yet despite this, a substantial number of people still visit these facilities. To understand the drivers behind visiting facilities with captive orcas, an online survey was developed using human behaviour change science targeting adult visitors to SeaWorld™ San Diego between 2015-2019. This facility was specifically chosen because there are also opportunities to visit wild orcas in this area. The survey incorporated closed questions, Likert scale statements derived from the COM-B model, and free-text boxes giving respondents the opportunity to explain their answers. The survey yielded 335 complete datasets. The findings were analysed as they related to capability, opportunity, and motivation. The majority of respondents were from the USA, and 55% of respondents had one or more children in their household. Many respondents expressed their desire to relive their childhood experiences at SeaWorld with their own children. Respondents seemed aware of the body of evidence that cetacean welfare was not optimal in captivity but felt that the orcas were looked after as well as they could be by facility staff. Reflective motivation, psychological capability, and physical and social opportunity all played a role in visitor attendance.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69710241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ángel de Jesús Jaimes, Columba Rodríguez, A. Juárez, Ramón Bedolla
{"title":"Environmental perceptions of tourists at Blue Flag certified beaches in Acapulco, Mexico","authors":"Ángel de Jesús Jaimes, Columba Rodríguez, A. Juárez, Ramón Bedolla","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16577866736017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16577866736017","url":null,"abstract":"There is limited literature on the environmental perception of tourists at Blue Flag certified beachesin Mexico. The objective of this research was to know the environmental perception of tourists atIcacos I and Icacos II beaches in Acapulco, Mexico, with Blue Flag certification. Quantitativeresearch was carried out; the criteria \"environmental education and information\" and \"environmentalmanagement\" criteria were examined with a semi-structured survey of 57 questions applied to 316beach users, during the summer of 2019. According to the perception of tourists, an ideal beach shouldhave clean water and sand; however, in the beaches studied, there is solid waste on the beach and inthe sea, in addition to noise pollution and sewage, even with certification. It was found that there isnot enough signage or environmental activity for users. In terms of management, visitors do not haveinformation about Blue Flag; they do not observe the relevant signage, nor have they previouslyvisited a beach with this emblem. In order to promote Acapulco as a sustainable destination, it isnecessary to comply with the regulations and involve the local government, businessmen, service andtourists; it is also necessary to develop environmental education processes.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Priyan Perera, Prabhath Jayewardana, James Creswell, D. Newsome
{"title":"SCUBA Diver Environmental Orientation and Perceptions of Diving Impact Management on Coral Reefs: Evidence from Sri Lanka","authors":"Priyan Perera, Prabhath Jayewardana, James Creswell, D. Newsome","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16615179540960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16615179540960","url":null,"abstract":"SCUBA diving has now become a regular feature of coral reef tourism and Sri Lanka has the potential to become a popular destination for SCUBA divers. SCUBA divers were interviewed at two main diving destinations on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka: Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. Most respondents were ‘experienced’ divers. Enjoyment, viewing marine life in their natural environments and adventure were the main motives of divers at these destinations. In general, the perceptions of respondents on SCUBA diving as an eco-tourism activity were positive across all experience levels. The self-rating experience positively influenced divers’ responsible underwater behavior. As such, diving operators must be aware of the potential damage to coral due to loss of control/buoyancy underwater and intentional touching of coral reefs by less experienced/novice divers. Experienced divers with strong environmental consciousness supported conservation-oriented reef management actions. Conversely, experienced divers were resistant to management actions that directly or indirectly compromised their dive experience. Less-experienced divers did not favour management actions that restrict them from accessing healthy coral reefs. Respondents expressed a general concern regarding the negative environmental impacts associated with an increase in visitors to sensitive marine habitats.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can marine citizen science and slow tourism be aligned?","authors":"Antonietta d'Agnessa, S. Lucrezi","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16497480391828","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16497480391828","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:p> </jats:p>","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruna M. Saliba, L. Eggertsen, T. C. Mendes, Marina Marconi, C. Ferreira, Vinicius J. Giglio
{"title":"Interactions of Divers with Reef Biota are More Frequent Among Snorkelers Than Scuba Divers and Increase During Sea Turtle Watching","authors":"Bruna M. Saliba, L. Eggertsen, T. C. Mendes, Marina Marconi, C. Ferreira, Vinicius J. Giglio","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16710976626847","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16710976626847","url":null,"abstract":"Snorkeling, the activity of swimming while using a mask and a snorkel, is a popular recreational activity in shallow water of coastal ecosystems. Because snorkeling is commonly assumed to cause comparatively fewer potential impacts to the marine biota than scuba diving, management is generally focused on the latter. We investigated the behavior of snorkelers aiming to quantify their interactions with benthic reef sessile organisms and sea turtles. We also compared the behavior of snorkelers with scuba divers to assess which group of divers is more damaging to the reef biota. Finally, we compared the use of conventional and non-conventional sampling approaches through analysis of social media images to evaluate the reliability of different approaches to investigate the behavior of underwater recreationists. Snorkelers were discreetly observed during five minutes, their interactions with benthic organisms were recorded and compared with scuba diver’s behavior in the same destination. Snorkelers observations were carried out with and without the presence of sea turtles and compared with videos from social media. Videos were extracted from YouTube through a search using keywords and analyzed to quantify the number of interactions of divers with the benthic organisms. Snorkelers caused 33% more contacts and 70% more damage to benthic reef organisms than scuba divers. Most interactions were over the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum, which received ~80% of contacts and ~30% of damage. The contact rate of snorkelers with benthic organisms increased 5.5-fold when they interacted with sea turtles. Snorkelers sampled through direct observation accounted for more contacts with benthic reef organisms than those observed in social media videos, whereas higher rates of behavioral disturbance to sea turtles were observed in snorkelers sampled in social media videos. As the videos from social media focused on sea turtle watching, they overestimated the amount of snorkelers-sea turtles’ interactions but underestimated the amount of contacts with benthic organisms. Our results revealed that snorkeling in shallow waters < 2 m deep may represent a considerable amount of impacts to reef benthic sessile organisms and such impacts significantly increase during sea turtle watching.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Valuation of Tourism to Protected Marine Environments","authors":"B. Moyle, C. McLennan, Alexandra Bec","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16434959176122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16434959176122","url":null,"abstract":"The increasing impacts of climate change on our most vulnerable protected areas has brought into focus the need for a better understanding of human-environment interactions. While it is established that visitation and place attachment can lead to conservation, the literature calls for further research into the valuation of tourism to protected marine environments, which manifest through emotional stability and environmental worldviews, how these differ across key visitor groups. Such an understanding will assist with creating support amongst global markets to better protect our most vulnerable environmental visitor assets.Through a survey of Australia’s key visitor markets (n=1,225), using the iconic Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as the vulnerable protected marine environment in question, this research establishes a clear positive relationship between emotional stability and environmental worldview and the greater valuation of the GBR. Moreover, the results reveal differences insocial resilience and protected area valuation across the different markets, as well as betweenprevious and potential visitors to the GBR.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental Compliance and Practices of Cruise Ships in Ísafjörður, Iceland","authors":"Sheng Ing Wang, C. Chambers","doi":"10.3727/154427322x16686727533114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3727/154427322x16686727533114","url":null,"abstract":"The drastic growth of cruise tourism in the world, while potentially beneficial for economic growth in local communities, also brings concerns regarding environmental impacts. This research used the port of Ísafjörður, Iceland, a growing hotspot destination for cruise ships, as a case study to aid in understanding the potential environmental impacts from cruise ships. The study’s aims were: 1) to determine the quantity and type of waste discharged to the shore facilities by cruise ships in Ísafjörður in 2019, and 2) to explore the compliance behavior of the ships in adhering to Icelandic and international environmental regulations. To do this, quantitative and qualitative questions were presented in a survey to officers from 40 cruise ships, accounting for 87% of the total 46 different ships that docked in Ísafjörður in the 2019 cruise ship season. The survey questions were designed based on the MARPOL Convention and the law of Iceland, and these questions were compared with the ship’s statutory record or ship’s certificates to strengthen the reliability of the data. The questions covered five categories: emissions, waste oil, wastewater, garbage and food waste, and ballast water. Results showed that very little garbage and food waste had been discharged to shore facilities, and this was likely because Ísafjörður is one of several stops for many cruise ships in Iceland and the waste had simply been discharged elsewhere. In assessing the other four categories, eight out of the 40 cruise ships carried out illegal activities, including 12 specific violation cases. This paper discusses three primary reasons for those violations: accessibility, inconsistency, and monitoring. This research was conducted pre-COVID-19, however, by 2022 cruise ship calls in Ísafjörður approached pre-COVID-19 numbers. Interested parties such as local communities, national decision makers, tourism boards, municipal planners, and environmental agencies must use the best available knowledge, such as this study, to manage the positive and negative aspects of the growth of cruise ship tourism, and perhaps even more so in a post-COVID-19 phase.","PeriodicalId":35146,"journal":{"name":"Tourism in Marine Environments","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69754682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}