It’s news to cheer environmentally concerned divers – it is possible for human/shark interactions to take place without any long-term effects on the sharks. That’s according to recently published research by scientists from University of Kalifornija Santa Barbara and Florida International University.
Pētnieki sāka no pieņēmuma, ka, neraugoties uz straujo jūras tūrisma pieaugumu, tā ietekme nebija labi saprotama, un lielākā daļa pētījumu koncentrējās tikai uz haizivju uzvedības izmaiņām, ko izraisa barošana vai ēsma.
Instead they carried out long-term observations of differences in residency, abundance and behaviour of reef sharks in response to scuba-diving at remote Palmyra Atoll, in the Northern Line Islands between Hawaii and American Samoa in the central Pacific.
Based at a scientific research station there, they used various survey techniques, including remotely operated underwater video kameras, kas pārvadā nelielu daudzumu ēsmas, un akustiskā uzraudzība.
Palmīra ir savvaļas dzīvnieku patvērums, kur makšķerēšana ir aizliegta 14 gadus, un zinātniskā niršana, lai arī intensīva, ir pilnībā koncentrēta nelielā skaitā niršanas vietu.
Lai gan pētnieki zināja, ka iepriekš bija pierādīts, ka haizivis īsā laika posmā maina savu uzvedību pret cilvēkiem ūdenī, viņu aptaujas rezultāti liecināja, ka šādas izmaiņas, visticamāk, būs īslaicīgas.
No differences were detected in reef-shark abundance or behaviour between heavily dived and undived locations, and there were no differences in residency patterns at dived and undived sites during a year that saw substantial diving activity, and another year with no diving at all.
“Our results suggest that humans can interact with reef sharks without persistent behavioural impacts, and that well-regulated shark-diving tourism can be accomplished without undermining conservation goals,” concluded lead author Darcy Bradley.
The report, “No Persistent Behavioural Effects of Scuba-Diving on Reef Sharks”, is published in the Marine Ecology Progress Series and can be downloaded šeit
Divernet — lielākais Online Resurss nirējiem
20-Mar-17
