Dolphin-watching tourism and indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in Sanniang Bay, China: impacts and solutions

摘要: Cetacean-watching tourism has become an economically important recreation industry, but can compromise cetacean viability and hence sustainability. While current management tactics pay much attention on industrialized cetacean-watching tourisms, impacts of tours operated by motorized boats in inshore waters are seldom discussed. This study investigated the spatial temporal activities dolphin-watching Sanniang Bay, China, where specifically focus Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis). The primary boat-dolphin interaction directly overlaps with a core habitat dolphins. Average tour duration was shorter than 40 min approximately one third time spent following Monthly were extremely high February, early May, August, October that corresponded to Chinese national festivals. An eastward shift site during high-tour-activity months implies long-term use northern Beibu Gulf. We urge collaboration coordination between boat captains, managers, maritime administrative, academic teams, NGOs systematically collect statistics including daily visitor numbers, encounter locations, unsustainable activities. As eco-tourisms targeting other coastal cetaceans adopting small rapidly growing southeastern Asia, guidelines involving codes conduct, allowable trips, sustainable urgently needed before becomes oriented. Variables presented this provide baseline proxy help design minimize target animals.