Characteristics of a marine wildlife tourism site: Stingray City, Cayman Islands, before, during and after the COVID-19 global pandemic
Bradley M. Wetherbee
A B * , Colby D. Kresge A , Jeremy J. Vaudo B , Guy C. M. Harvey C , Jessica C. Harvey C and Mahmood S. Shivji B
A
B
C
Abstract
Daily provisioning of stingrays at Stingray City, Cayman Islands, has led to an aggregation of stingrays that is an artifact of human activities, where size and composition of the aggregation are strongly influenced by human activities.
To characterise dynamics of the aggregation of stingrays at Stingray City during the COVID-19 global pandemic and compare the aggregation before, during and after the pandemic.
Characteristics of the aggregation were examined in 26 exhaustive biannual censuses conducted before, during and after the COVID-19 in 2012–2023.
Size of the aggregation increased from ~60 to ~110 between 2012 and 2019, but declined rapidly to <50 individuals in 2020 when provisioning ceased as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Following the resumption of provisioning (2021–2023), the aggregation size increased to >70 individuals, and by August 2023 had reached 99 individuals.
The dynamic nature and volatility of the Stingray City aggregation reflect responses to human activities, particularly provisioning of stingrays.
Regular censuses of stingrays and long-term monitoring of Stingray City provide information for understanding human influences and enhanced management and quality tourism experiences required for continued and long-term economic benefit.
Keywords: Cayman Islands, ecotourism, Hypanus americanus, marine wildlife tourism site, pandemic, southern stingray, Stingray City, wildlife interaction, wildlife provisioning.
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