Impacts, risks and management of fish feeding at Neds Beach, Lord Howe Island Marine Park, Australia: a case study of how a seemingly innocuous activity can become a serious problem

摘要: Poorly managed food provisioning to attract wild fish interact with tourists has many impacts on the and surrounding environment. Such can theoretically be at sustainable levels, but too often activity becomes established unsustainable levels long before management intervention, resulting in dependence, not only of fish, also local economy, making unpopular difficult enforce. For decades feeding been a popular tourist Lord Howe Island. This study documents intensity examines behavioural health fish. Impacts included habituation, dependency, aggression altered foraging behaviour, skin lesions, microbial infections, excessive fat deposits, stomach ulcers parasite burdens. Island supports small economy dependent upon ecotourism around interactions natural environment is marketed as major attraction for visitors. ...