The effects of fish feeding by visitors on reef fish in a Marine Protected Area open to tourism

Abstract: Coral reef-based tourism has risen sharply across the globe, coupled with an increase in fish feeding by visitors. Studies indicate that fish feeding is one of the leading causes of changes in distribution patterns, abundance, the structure of marine fish communities, and fish behavior. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of human presence and fish feeding on the behavior of reef fish by conducting in situ experiments in tide pools in a Marine Protected Area located at the northern limit of the Abrolhos Bank in the South Atlantic Ocean. Eight feeding sessions were conducted and filmed, resulting in a total of 160 minutes of video footage. Each filming session recorded four different experimental conditions alternating between human presence, human absence, and fish feeding. Our findings suggest that fish feeding may cause changes in fish behavior, such as habituation to human presence, conditioning to fish feeding, increased aggressiveness, attacks on humans, and short-term changes in species distribution. The continuation of fish feeding over time can cause an increase in the size of the populations of species that consume food provided during feeding and consequently trigger changes in the structure of communities.

摘要：全球范围内的珊瑚礁旅游呈急剧增长态势，与此同时游客投喂鱼类的行为也愈发频繁。研究表明，鱼类投喂是导致海洋鱼类群落分布模式、丰度、结构以及鱼类行为发生改变的主要诱因之一。本研究以南大西洋阿布洛霍斯海台北部界限处的海洋保护区（Marine Protected Area）内的潮池为实验场地开展原位实验，旨在探究人类在场与鱼类投喂行为对礁栖鱼类行为的影响。本研究共开展并录制8次投喂实验，累计获取160分钟的视频素材。每次录制过程均设置四种不同的实验条件，在人类在场、人类不在场与鱼类投喂之间交替进行。研究结果显示，鱼类投喂可能会引发鱼类行为的诸多改变，例如对人类在场的习惯化、对投喂行为的条件化、攻击性增强、攻击人类，以及物种分布的短期变化。长期持续的鱼类投喂行为，会使得以投喂食物为食的物种种群规模扩大，并进而引发群落结构的改变。