Time to stop mucking around? Impacts of underwater photography on cryptobenthic fauna found in soft sediment habitats
- PMID: 29660542
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.047
Time to stop mucking around? Impacts of underwater photography on cryptobenthic fauna found in soft sediment habitats
Abstract
Scuba diving tourism is a sustainable source of income for many coastal communities, but can have negative environmental impacts if not managed effectively. Diving on soft sediment habitats, typically referred to as 'muck diving', is a growing multi-million dollar industry with a strong focus on photographing cryptobenthic fauna. We assessed how the environmental impacts of scuba divers are affected by the activity they are engaged in while diving and the habitat they dive in. To do this, we observed 66 divers on coral reefs and soft sediment habitats in Indonesia and the Philippines. We found diver activity, specifically interacting with and photographing fauna, causes greater environmental disturbances than effects caused by certification level, gender, dive experience or age. Divers touched the substrate more often while diving on soft sediment habitats than on coral reefs, but this did not result in greater environmental damage on soft sediment sites. Divers had a higher impact on the substrate and touch animals more frequently when observing or photographing cryptobenthic fauna. When using dSLR-cameras, divers spent up to five times longer interacting with fauna. With the unknown, long-term impacts on cryptobenthic fauna or soft sediment habitats, and the increasing popularity of underwater photography, we argue for the introduction of a muck diving code of conduct.
Keywords: Code of conduct; Coral reefs; Cryptobenthic fauna; Scuba diving; Sustainable tourism; Tourism impacts.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
Recreational Diving Impacts on Coral Reefs and the Adoption of Environmentally Responsible Practices within the SCUBA Diving Industry.Environ Manage. 2016 Jul;58(1):107-16. doi: 10.1007/s00267-016-0696-0. Epub 2016 Apr 7. Environ Manage. 2016. PMID: 27055531 Free PMC article.
-
Underwater Impact and Intention-Behaviour Gap of Scuba Divers on Coral Communities in Hong Kong SAR, China.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 22;20(5):3896. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20053896. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023. PMID: 36900906 Free PMC article.
-
Diving down the reefs? Intensive diving tourism threatens the reefs of the northern Red Sea.Mar Pollut Bull. 2008 Oct;56(10):1788-94. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.06.002. Epub 2008 Aug 12. Mar Pollut Bull. 2008. PMID: 18701118
-
Ecological impacts and management strategies for recreational diving: A review.J Environ Manage. 2020 Feb 15;256:109949. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109949. Epub 2019 Dec 9. J Environ Manage. 2020. PMID: 31818747
-
Ear disorders in scuba divers.Int J Occup Environ Med. 2011 Jan;2(1):20-6. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2011. PMID: 23022815 Review.
Cited by
-
Nocturnal surveys of lined seahorses reveal increased densities and seasonal recruitment patterns.Ecol Evol. 2023 Jan 11;13(1):e9573. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9573. eCollection 2023 Jan. Ecol Evol. 2023. PMID: 36644702 Free PMC article.
-
Behavioural and pathomorphological impacts of flash photography on benthic fishes.Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 24;9(1):748. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37356-2. Sci Rep. 2019. PMID: 30679714 Free PMC article.
-
The influence of scuba diving experience on divers' perceptions, and its implications for managing diving destinations.PLoS One. 2019 Jul 5;14(7):e0219306. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219306. eCollection 2019. PLoS One. 2019. PMID: 31276482 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
