Ocean Etiquette 101
The ecotourism industry certainly has the potential to provide numerous benefits - including bringing in economic support for local communities, while simultaneously increasing conservation efforts, and educating the public. However, with the rise of social media – Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook - I can’t help but constantly notice daily posts highlighting negative interactions with marine wildlife, oftentimes resulting from ecotourist experiences.
While I generally believe no harm is meant by these interactions, videos and photos are constantly surfacing of individuals touching sharks and rays, chasing whales and dolphins, or hugging seals and sea lions. Additionally, I have been on multiple dive trips in which I have seen divers picking up living things, taking flash photography within millimeters of living creatures, and being negligent in the vicinity of coral reefs. I have even seen social media posts of beachgoers picking up shells on the beach that are still housing living animals!
In an era where social media “likes” have become a way of life, we, as a society need to take a step back and think about the potential detrimental impacts of our actions on the environment and wildlife.
Touching or chasing wildlife is a form of harassment and has the potential to negatively impact an animal. It can lead to altered behavior, increased stress, the transfer of disease, susceptibility to illness or predators, and habituation to humans that in some cases can lead to aggression or accidental death of the animal. Alternatively, habituation to humans can lead to lifelong captivity, as the recent story of Izzy the dolphin has shown.
In addition to the poor outcomes for the individual animals involved, there are laws that prohibit human interaction with vulnerable species. Two of these laws are the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) -- both designed to prohibit “take” (i.e., harassment, hunting, killing, capturing, or collecting) of protected species. The MMPA protects ALL marine mammals; the ESA protects all species designated as endangered or threatened. Touching and chasing animals qualifies as harassment, and these illegal acts can lead to fines or other legal ramifications for the people involved.
So, look below for just a few suggested best practices. And don’t forget to support ecotourism groups that embrace these practices!
1. Do not touch!
It seems silly that this still must be said, but “do not touch” is a universal phrase for divers. However, raise your hand if you have seen an “influencer” photo of an individual touching or riding a shark? Or have you ever been on a dive where the dive instructor picks up a marine invertebrate to give you a closer look? Aside from very few exceptions, such as permitted research, there is just no need to touch wild animals. This also applies to coral. Coral is a living thing. Sometimes divers have issues with their buoyancy and are unaware of coral while they dive, knocking into it. While unintentional, it can have detrimental and permanent effects on the reef ecosystem since coral is incredibly slow growing and fragile.
Shells are beautiful, and most of us have certainly participated in beachcombing at some point in our lives. Additionally, many of us have bought shells in a store for home aesthetics. But did you know that some shells you may buy are harvested with living animals still inside of them? Additionally, by collecting shells you may be robbing an animal of their home or building materials. For example, hermit crabs outgrow their spiral shells, requiring them to find larger “homes”. If they cannot find a larger shell, they may be subject to predation or exposure to the elements.
3. Center the animal, not yourself, in wildlife photography
We believe that ethical wildlife photography involves being as non-invasive as possible. The subject of your photography should be kept at a distance, and zoom lenses should be utilized. When you center yourself or your interaction with a wild animal in your photography, you not only take away from the overall conservation message, but you promote wildlife harassment for the purpose of “likes” or followers.
By following these simple guidelines, you can ensure that your ecotourism adventures are both fun and not harmful to the environments you’re experiencing!