Wildlife tourism has little energetic impact on the world's largest predatory shark

• DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.10.004
• Publication Date: 2023-12-01T20:51:03Z
• Authors: Adrienne Gooden; Thomas M. Clarke; Lauren Meyer; Charlie Huveneers
• Keywords: Carcharias; Wildlife tourism; Thunnus

Wildlife tourism is expanding globally, driving the need to quantify its potential impacts. Studies on effects of marine wildlife have focused documenting behavioural changes, but whether affects activity levels, energy budgets and ultimately survival prospects target animals largely unknown. To assess cage diving expenditure white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, animal-borne cameras accelerometer loggers were deployed 18 sharks at a cage-diving site (Neptune Islands Group Marine Park, South Australia) recorded shark for ca. 490 h. A random forest machine-learning model was used predict their behaviours based 38 h acceleration data with ground-truthed by cameras. The presence boats using food-based attractants led spending more time undertaking high-energy swimming bursts while decreasing low-energy swimming. However, raised during operations not reflected in substantial shift budgets. Calorific quantification baits industry showed that one bait (tethered southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, gills entrails) could fuel than day, which lead temporary reduction or cessation natural foraging, potentially impacting health fitness individual. Our study reveals new insights into energetic large predators. We highlight increases metabolic rate are relatively small continuously moving predators, amount food consumed may impact individuals should be considered when managing activities.