Effects of COVID lockdown on artificial provisioning on blacktip reef sharks ( Carcharhinus melanopterus) and pink whiprays ( Pateobatis fai) in French Polynesia

The tourism activities linked to artificial provisioning of blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and pink whiprays (Pateobatis fai) on a specific site in French Polynesia were suddenly and completely stopped due to a COVID-19 lockdown that lasted 6 weeks from March 20 until April 30, 2020. Using both drone footage and underwater counting, we were able to track the abundance of those two species before, during, and after reopening and thus investigate the impact of provisioning on wild shark populations. During the first 2 weeks after reopening, the abundance of both species remained at reduced levels comparable to those observed between 2008 and 2010 for sharks; i.e., around 9 animals in the presence of local tourists. Pre-lockdown abundance levels, reaching approximatively 15 individuals for sharks and 10 for rays, were considered restored 1 and 2 months after reopening for blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays, respectively. These findings improve our capacity to better understand the potential effects of artificial provisioning tourism on the abundance of elasmobranchs by showing that conditioning is resilient for several weeks.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8652997/

Effects of total cessation of artificial provisioning at an established shark tourism site in Tahiti on grey shark (C. amblyrhynchos) behavior and abundance.

A study directed towards understanding population dynamics and behavioral displays exhbited by the grey reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, at a previously established “shark feeding site”, La Vallee Blanche, as expressed in relation to anthropogenic, environmental, and ecological variables.

An established and frequently provisioned site until environmental policy change in 2017 with greater enforcement of the policy coming into effect at the end of 2019, the first complete cessation of feeding activities across all operators occurred in the beginning of 2020 as a result of a shark feeding related incident as well as lockdown measures. Following this total cessation of provisioning multiple reports were made of natural observation circumstances in which grey reef sharks exhibited aggressive or threatening behavior to divers, spear fishermen, and snorkelers utilizing the site for both recreational and professional activities. The heightened behavioral response to environmental stimulus including surface splashing, freediving activity, and engine noise/vibration indicated a highly competitive social structure among the dive site’s grey shark population.

Field Research Training with Bimini Shark Lab at Bimini Biological Field Station, Bahamas

Co-founder and lead scientist of Mao Mana Foundation, Kori Burkhardt, traveled to the Bahamas for a two month period immersing in the field work of Bimini Shark Lab to learn from the experts at Bimini Biological Field Station in various field methods for shark research. Areas of focus included shark tagging by multiple methodologies across multiple species, photo-identification cataloguing, provisioning surveys, sampling morphometrics, and ethical shark handling in research. We thank the Bimini Shark Lab team for their generosity in sharing their knowledge and home.