CHAPTER I Introduction and Research Methodology

1.1 INTRODUCTION The Sand Bar and Stingray City are one of the Cayman Islands major tourist attractions, and feature extensively in the Islands marketing. Located in the shallow waters of North Sound in Grand Cayman, the two sites offer shallow water snorkelling and diving amongst stingrays. One of the features of trips to swim with the stingrays is the opportunity to touch and feed these animals, which now congregate at both sites: generally at least 50 stingrays can be seen at the Sand Bar, and 30 at Stingray City. It is estimated that in recent years around 900,000 vi sits a year over 780,000 of these by cruise passengers are made to the Sand Bar and Stingray City, with nearly half of all visitors to the Cayman Islands taking a trip. The Sand Bar is only 60 cm deep in some places shallow enough for snorkellers to be able to touch stingrays resting on them bottom. Stingray City is deeper between 3 to 5 metres and visited by recreational scuba divers.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The research project has been carried out with the following objectives: The basic objective behind carrying out this research project is to assess the negative impacts of tourisms on marine ecosystem. Also to explore possible measures that could be taken to protect the marine ecology.

[1]

1.3 SCOPE: The scope of the present research is limited to the impact of coastal tourism on stingrays at the Stingray city only as the topic suggested. In this research project the researcher attempts to analyze the effect of tourism on marine species. Looking at the vastness of the project the researcher has confined the scope of the study to analyze the topic. The researcher has tried to cover the aspects connected with the said topic and analyze them in an elaborative manner with the help of relevant case laws. 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The quality and value of research depends upon the proper and particular methodology adopted for the completion of research work. Looking at the vastness of the research topic doctrinal Legal research methodology has been adopted. The researcher adopt both the primary and secondary sources.

1.5 RESEARCH PROBLEM: Whether behavioral modifications in the stingrays can be protected.

The researcher has taken up the following problem because it is very important to know whether the changes observed in the stingrays could be stopped before these changes increase so much that it becomes impossible to prevent the species of stingrays. Whether the measures taken by the Department of Environment to protect stingrays are complied with.

Researcher came up with the above stated problem so as to find out that set of rules framed by the Department of Environment are followed, and if not followed then the extinction of the stingrays is nearby.

[2]

1.6 HYPOTHESIS: In order to conduct a research work, some important hypotheses are to be formulated. The focal points and assumptions are normally available through the formulation of hypothesis. The major hypotheses developed on the basis of study are as follows: The stingrays which are fed by the tourists are unhealthy as compared to those who are not fed by the tourists. Preventing the tourists from feeding the stingrays would lead to the loss of tourism at the stingray city.

[3]

CHAPTER II Concept of Marine Ecology

2.1 MEANING
Marine Ecology is the scientific study of marine-life habitat, populations, and interactions among organisms and the surrounding environment including their abiotic (non-living physical and chemical factors that affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce) and biotic factors (living things or the materials that directly or indirectly affect an organism in its environment). Marine ecology is a subset of the study of marine biology and includes observations at the biochemical, cellular, individual, and community levels as well as the study of marine ecosystems and the biosphere. The study of marine ecology also includes the influence of geology, geography, meteorology, pedology, chemistry, and physics on marine environments. The impact of human activity such as medical research, development, agriculture, fisheries, and forestry is also studied under marine ecology. In some ways, marine ecology is more complex than the relatively straightforward study of a particular organism or environment because of the numerous interconnections, symbiotic relationships, and influence of many factors on a particular environment.1

http://marinebio.org/oceans/marine-ecology.asp, visited on 2nd Feb, 2012

[4]

2.2 STINGRAYS
The stingray is a flat marine fish found in warmer waters around the globe. The stingray is belongs to the same group of fish as other ray and are also believed to be closely related to sharks. The stingray inhabits the warmer tropical waters around the world generally in the slightly deeper waters rather than the shallows. When the weather begins to cool, the stingray will retreat further into the depths of the ocean.

2.2 INTERACTION WITH STINGRAY AT STINGRAY CITY

Interacting with stingrays at Stingray City, appears to be substantially growing in popularity. Promotion of the rays is increasing through websites and brochures and larger tourism productions. Yet there is still very little known about the impacts on rays (both behavioural and physical), risks to humans, or indeed the issues that provisioning stingrays can present. An impact study conducted on stingray provisioning in the Cayman Islands, provisioning activities at Hamelin Bay, and other areas in the southwest are unique because they are shore-based. Collected data shows that rays are attracted to the site principally by food provisioning and secondarily by boats due to learned association with food. They are most common at the provisioning site in the middle of the day, as are peak visitor numbers. Behavioural impacts on rays were found to be attraction to humans, resulting in aggression and hierarchy towards one another. Attraction to humans at the provisioning site reflected that the rays may be partially habituated. However, rays were also seen foraging naturally for food, indicating that they are not yet dependent on humans. Other potential impacts to rays include boat damage from pleasure craft, overfeeding, being fed the wrong food, damage from fishing hooks and risk of disease from foul water.2
2

David Newsome, Impacts and risks associated with developing, but unsupervised, stingray tourism, International Journal of Tourism, Volume 6, Issue 5, September 2004, pp 305-398

[5]

2.3 CAUSES OF INJURY SUFFERED BY STINGRAYS A new study has revealed that stingray at a tourist hotspot in the Cayman Islands are suffering because of all the human attention. The Grand Cayman sandbank, dubbed Stingray City, is regularly swamped with up to 2,500 visitors at a time, most of whom have paid handsomely for the chance to feed, stroke and swim with the creatures.3 The study highlights the risks to animals posed by the growing "wildlife tourism" industry. Experts say wild populations of creatures such as dolphins, penguins and sharks are also affected by increased contact with curious people. The study was one of the first to investigate direct effects on the physiology of animals involved in such tourism. Blood tests showed that the stingrays at Stingray City had weaker immune systems and were in poorer health than animals not disturbed by tourists, perhaps making them more vulnerable to disease and storms. The experts warn that the "long-term health and survival of tourist stingrays have a significant probability of being affected" and they call for tighter regulation of the industry. Similar crowded tourist sites across the world will be doing similar damage to stingray, they say. Christina Semeniuk, an ecologist said: "Reduced stingray numbers, or injured, unhealthy-looking stingrays can cause the visitor site to become less attractive and may cause a decline in tourist numbers and have an economic impact." The stingray at the site are regularly injured by boats, the scientists found, while the crowded conditions encourage parasites. The creatures have also come to rely on hand-fed squid, which stingray do not usually eat. "These impacts can have long-term health effects, in terms of reduced longevity and reduced reproductive effort," Semeniuk said. 4

3 4

Meyer, P. (1997), Stingray injuries at pp 2428 David Adam. Stingrays suffering from contact with wildlife tourists, study finds. The Guardian on the web. 29

May 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/29/wildlife-tourism-stingray>

[6]

Recreational diving and snorkelling are increasingly popular leisure activities, with potentially adverse consequences for coral reefs and other types of marine life. It is estimated that the stingrays now receive 80,000 to 100,000 visitors per year, and on a busy day more than 500 divers and snorkellers can be observed in the water stroking and feeding the rays. The stingray population is beginning to show major behavioural changes such as the development of shoaling behaviour, skin abrasion from handling, and altered feeding habits. It is also possible that some behavioural modifications are being learnt and transmitted to new generations of rays. Concern is expressed about the effect of consistently high levels of visitation upon the stingray population, and it is suggested that there is an urgent need for long term monitoring with possible restriction of visitor numbers.5 2.3.1 INCREASED LEVEL OF OVERCROWDING Since 1930s, stingrays have been present at the Stingray City. They were attracted by fishermen cleaning their catch. Diving became popular at Stingray City and trips started to hand feed the rays in 1986. Today most leisure tourism for this area is motivated by diving or fishing. And the dive, with 50 stingrays at least, has become one of the best in the world as the fish are harmless and not aggressive to people. Actually their only natural predators are humans and sharks. There are no official numbers for Stingray City available, but the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and their Protection and Conservation Unit estimates between 80,000 to 100,000 visitors per year. In high season more than 500 divers and snorkelers each day can be found in the water feeding and stroking the rays. There is concern expressed about the effect of consistently high levels of visitation upon the rays population, because such visitor numbers seems likely to start or accelerate existing changes in the behavior of the stingray. Also other visitor-related problems as overcrowding, like the provision of poor and inaccurate information and minimal safety precautions will be become

Myra Shackley, Stingray City- Managing the Impact of Underwater Tourism in the Cayman Islands , Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Volume 6, Issue 4, 1998

[7]

a problem. Unfortunately is Stingray City, by far the most frequently visited marine tourism attraction in the Caymans, outside the network of protected areas off the coasts. This means that the activities of local dive tourism operators are the most profitable, but not subject to protected area regulations. The levels of overcrowding these days influence the quality of the visitor experience and seem to have an unfavorable effect upon the rays. 6 2.4 ALTERING STINGRAY BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY So many underwater photographers have visited or plan to visit Grand Cayman's famous Stingray City. But what most do not realize is that there are inherent problems with the massive numbers of tourists that are feeding these stingrays everyday, which is the very reason that the stingrays appear in the first place. In fact, upon further investigation, it is not difficult to even learn about some of the abuse that tourist operators inflict on the stingrays by lifting them out of the water for tourists to photograph. According to a study, based on the research of a University of Rhode Island professor, tourist activity in the waters off the Grand Cayman Islands is responsible for the disruption of behaviors and an increase in the size of the female population in stingrays. From an evolutionary point of view, for millions of years these stingrays have been nocturnal. Tourists start feeding them during the day and they reverse their behavior. They became very active during the day, or diurnal, which they never were before, and now they sleep all night. Stingrays are bottom-feeders, and do not typically eat non-natural prey items, such as squid, which many tourists have been feeding them. They eat a lot of invertebrates, worms and shellfish. Their mouths are on the bottom, so they swim along and dig up stuff in the substrate mostly. They do catch little fish sometimes but it's mostly invertebrates. It is surprising that the females are a lot bigger than the males, almost twice

Jessica Peelen, Impacts of diving: To dive or not to dive Tourism Destination Management November 25th,

2011 <http://www.tourism-master.nl/2011/11/25/impacts-of-diving-to-dive-or-not-to-dive/>

[8]

as big. With people feeding these rays, they're getting to really big sizes that they wouldn't usually grown to in the wild. The female stingray population in tourist areas has also increased. 7

It was specifically that group-living stingrays in a new environmentwhich includes both the presence of tourists and quickly renewing food patcheswill be exposed to increased injuries, eco-dermal parasites and aggressive interference competition that result from the unusual grouping behavior. It was found that, in comparison to stingrays from non-tourist sites, tourist fed stingrays are more likely to have lower body condition, be injured by boats and predators, be susceptible to eco-dermal parasites, and be engaged in intense interference competition (in the form of specific bite marks). Stingrays from tourist sites also have significantly higher mean numbers of injuries, parasites, and median bite marks. The tourist site represents a riskier habitat with regards to injury and predation; and there may be long-term fitness consequences. 8 Underwater photographers tend to participate in the feeding of sharks, dolphins, stingrays, and other species, in order to get close enough to get high quality images. It adds to the local economies and prevents exploitation and removal of the larger species. However, it has also been proven that this activity can alter animal behavior, population levels, aggression, dependence upon and habituation to human contact, as well as malnourishment and disease.

Nelson, J.S. (2006). Fishes of the World (fourth ed.). pp. 7682.

8 Jason Heller, Stingray City - Altering Stingray Behavior & Physiology April 14, 2009 < http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-scuba-ocean-news/stingray city altering stingray behavior physiology/>

[9]

2.5 SAFEGUARDS TAKEN TO PROTECT STINGRAYS The Department of Environment has hired a fulltime enforcement officer to ensure the wellbeing of stingrays at the Sandbar. Measures are taken to make sure that operators and visitors do not lift stingrays out of the water, that boat operators are licensed and that vessels do not anchor on the shallowest part of the sandbar, potentially injuring the stingrays. Tim Austin, deputy director of the Department of Environment said the post was part of measures taken to help protect stingrays when the Sandbar was designated as a wildlife inclusion zone. Some 170 stingrays frequent the Sandbar. Studies have shown that most of the animals in the area have been injured at some point, most likely by propeller blades from boats. Under regulations in the law, boats cannot anchor in water shallower than three feet, operators or tourists are not allowed to lift stingrays out of the water nor wear any kind of footwear in the water. The regulations also prohibit unlicensed tourist boats from entering the area. It also prohibits feeding the stingrays anything other than ballyhoo and squid, and each boat is only allowed to carry one pound of food for them. The rules also stipulate that a maximum of 1,500 visitors and 20 boats are allowed at the Sandbar at any one time. Boats are only allowed to stay there for one hour. A report showed that the steady diet of squid, the proliferation of tourists and the presence of so many boats each day could be harmful to the stingrays health. Furthermore, measures should be taken to alleviate crowding conditions at Stingray City Sandbar (leading to injuries and parasite transmission) by limiting the number of people and boats, or by expanding the site into nearby areas to accommodate the current level. A research conducted on stingrays found that of the stingrays examined, 30 per cent from non tourist sites had been injured while 85 per cent at the Sandbar had suffered injuries.
[10]

Boat collisions are generally the dominant form of injuries to animals that are the focus of marinebased tourism attractions, the report stated. The majority of injuries incurred [at the Sandbar] regardless of injury type, are indeed caused by boat propellers, anchor chains, or anchors that have resulted in a myriad of boatrelated injuries.9 Report showed that the steady diet of squid, the proliferation of tourists and the presence of so many boats each day could be harmful to the stingrays health. Feeding marine wildlife as a tourism experience has become a popular means by which to attract both People and wildlife, although management efforts are still in their infancy. Stingray City Sandbar in the Cayman Islands, where visitors can hand feed free-ranging Southern Stingrays (Dasyatis americana), is a world-famous attraction currently undergoing visitor and wildlife management. One plan is to decrease the amount of non natural food provided by tourists with the intention of decreasing stingray habituation to the artificial food source and promoting stingray health.10 Stingrays are often viewed by people as a threat and a danger, not as something that creates balance or as wonderful animals. Awareness of the predicament face by stingrays is often limited and fear mongering by media has given rise to a misunderstanding of these creatures. It is important to promote educational awareness and conservational importance for these key animals and a significant local public awareness and marine environmental education programme has been launched. There are a number of activities that are raised for public awareness and to inform the public of the information gathered from the studies. There are talks to local schools, community groups, business and social groups. Educational leaflets have been designed and distributed.

9 Dawid Bowen. More Police to Control Stingray City. Scuba Herald on web. 31 Oct 2011 <http://www.scubaherald.com/more-police-to-control-stingray-city>
10

Joe Shooman. Stingray City bar protest planned. Caymanian Compass. 30th December, 2009 <http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi>

[11]

Cay Brew have kindly offered to donate 5c on every stingray conservation fund set up through the DoE. Work with local residents and visitors have generated a greater understanding of historical populations, looking particularly at occurrences as well as increases or decreases in numbers of observations over time. Collaborating with local fishers, elasmo branch catch or by-catch is monitored and traditional knowledge recorded.11 Although the Cayman Islands have a network of protected areas, marine park and management zones off their coasts, the Sand Bar and Stringray City are outside this network, and therefore not covered by protected area regulations. Because access to the sites is uncontrolled they are also at risk from overcrowding, which detracts from the tourist experience as well as being likely to increase pressure on the stingrays. To address these issues, the Cayman Islands Department of Environment set up a process to involve representatives from all the stakeholders including the Marine Conservation Board, Cayman Islands Tourism Association Water sports Committee, Land and Sea Coop, general public, Department and Ministry of Tourism, as well as the Department of Environment in discussion of the issues facing these sites, and to formulate an agreement on management of marine tourism. Through this process, the stakeholders jointly proposed the creation of two Special Management Areas (SMAs) under the Caymans Marine Conservation Law one at the Sandbar area, and a second at Stingray City; and that the rules governing these SMAs would become part of the Marine Conservation regulations which would then be enforced by the Department of Environment. 2.6 OPPOSITION OF FLOATING BAR AT STINGRAY Rumors have been circulating for months about plans to build a floating bar in Stingray City, just off the coast of Grand Cayman. This popular area is a natural habitat for stingrays and one of the Cayman Islands' most popular tourist attractions. Tourists can get up close and personal by touching, petting, and even feeding these tame rays.

11

http://www.doe.ky/marine/sharks/project-mission

[12]

A local businessman, Bennie Bush, has proposed the idea of putting in a floating bar, much to the chagrin of many residents and tourists. While Bush feels it will enhance the Stingray City operations, some locals and marine life preservationists fear the impact on the local ecosystem. The project appears to be gaining some steam and is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Liquor Licensing Board of Grand Cayman approved Bush's application for a retail liquor license, along with a music and dancing license as well. Since the approval of the licenses, talk of the proposed bar is slowly making its way around the globe. One person in opposition of the floating bar is ensuring her voice gets heard. Natasha Kozaily, a local Caymanian, organized a silent protest. There is also a petition, sponsored by Oceanic Defense, to promote awareness and rally signatures against the proposed bar. Kozaily's feelings echo many others who feel the floating bar will damage the sensitive ecosystem and turn the pristine area into a party place. Kozaily pointed out in a recent interview that there will still be litter and trash floating around, even if clean up efforts are in place. On promoting the wrong type of atmosphere people feel that the animals are being exploited, not protected. There is a risk of drowning and/or stepping down on a stingray if people become too intoxicated, or even just careless. 12

12

http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national

[13]

CHAPTER III Tourism and Development: An Ecology Perspective

A study found that supplemental feeding changes the activity patterns, feeding habits and reproduction of stingrays. A study was directed on the effects of human feeding on marine wildlife. Dania Beach on the Cayman Islands' most popular tourist attraction, Stingray City and the Sandbar, where as many as 3,000 people per day interact withstingrays. The two-year study, funded by the Guy Harvey Research Institute, found that supplemental feeding changes the activity patterns, feeding habits and even reproduction of stingrays. They are fed mostly frozen squid from California. They wouldn't eat a squid in their natural environment mainly blue crabs and shrimp. It was found that the fed rays remained at the Sandbar during the day, ranged around a bit at night and then returned to the Sandbar the next morning. The wild rays headed out to deeper water during the day and returned to South Sound at night, moving around farther and more frequently than their human-habituated counterparts. The supplemental feeding reversed the activity pattern. It changed from resting during the day and foraging at night to reversal of that pattern. The researchers concluded that tidal phase had no effect on the animals' activity space. The scientists also noted that the fed animals were much fatter than their wild cousins and tended to reproduce all year long on the Sandbar instead of in cycles. The study has wide-ranging implications for watersports operators, marine resources managers and lawmakers. Currently, supplemental feeding tourist attractions are conducted at more than 300 sites in nearly 40 countries worldwide.

[14]

3.1 TOURISM AND ITS IMPACT The huge attraction of the stingray experience to tourists is important for the Cayman Islands economy, around a quarter of which is based on tourism, but also raises concerns about the effects of diving and snorkeling tours on the stingray population. Stingrays were first came to the Sand Bar and Stingray City to feed on fish wastes thrown overboard by local fishermen, but since 1986 they have been hand fed by dive operators. Although stingrays are normally solitary, they have switched to forming packs of 12-15 individuals, and from night-feeding to feeding during the day, at the two sites. Most of their food now comes from feeding by divers. As well as these major behavioural changes, a recent study carried out in conjunction with the Department of Environment, has found that these stingrays exhibit higher injury rates, which are caused by boat collisions, higher numbers of parasites on their gills, and higher incidences of open wounds. Blood samples also show that the human-fed stingrays are not receiving the proper balance of essential fatty acids that is critical for disease resistance and immune response.

3.2 FEEDING EFFECTS The Cayman Islands have banned shark feeding and are considering regulating stingray encounters. Gina Ebanks-Petrie, director of the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment, says establishing voluntary guidelines for stingray encounters has not worked. Some of the proposed regulations include: licensing boat tour operators, designating anchorages and no-boat-entry zones around Stingray City and the Sandbar, limiting the number and duration of simultaneous boat tours at the Sandbar, prohibiting hook-and-line fishing in the feeding zones, prohibiting shoes or fins at the Sandbar and regulating the types and amount of food dispensed. If adopted, penalties for violators would be stiff -- fines of up to $600,000 (U.S.), prison for up to a year and seizure of vessel and equipment.

[15]

3.2 ESTABLISHMENT OF MARINE PARKS: EFFECT ON BIODIVERSITY In an effort to protect these resources, the Cayman Islands Marine Parks were founded in 1986 under the forward-thinking slogan Save Our Tomorrow-Today. In 2012 they still serve that stated purpose. Officials from the Cayman Islands are celebrating this important milestone. In enacting the Marine Parks Regulations, three types of protected area zone designations were created: marine parks, replenishment zones and environmental zones. Over the years, these locales have enabled conch, whelk and lobster populations to be sustained. They have also protected reefs and secured fish stocks. That visionary move established the Cayman Islands as a regional leader in marine conservation. Apart from fulfilling the moral obligation to secure marine resources for future generations, the marine parks have also proven to be a sound economic decision. A 1985 National Geographic article described Caymans reefs as a bonanza for pleasure and profit, adding that the Islands submarine splendor supports an underwater recreation industry with more than 300,000 visitors annually. It has been found that Marine Parks promote healthy corals and increase biodiversity, biomass, size, and abundance of fish: within Marine Parks, there are more species of fish and they are larger and present in greater numbers. Research shows that fish move across the boundaries of Marine Parks to colonize the areas outside them. By maintaining the natural variety and abundance of herbivorous and carnivorous species, Marine Parks preserve a delicate balance in coral reef systems. Because the fish in Marine Parks are protected, reefs within and near park boundaries are healthier. Healthy reefs are more resilient; they have the capacity to recover from major impacts such as coral bleaching, disease, and storms. As a country, they are fortunate that the early institution of Marine Parks has helped our coral reefs survive until now. As part of a growing network of Marine Protected Areas around the globe, they can work to ensure that marine ecosystems in the Cayman Islands are healthy enough to cope with current impacts and coming challenges such as climate change. The new Dive 365 Project is a shining example of private sector dive operators working with Governments Dept of Environment and the Marine Parks to provide a sustainable solution for all of the dive sites in the Cayman Islands. Dive 365 is a project that is in the process of adding 68 new dives across all three islands over a five year period.
[16]

In addition to new legislation, there are many ongoing projects that help the Marine Parks and their management. To date 32 new moorings have been installed in the first 2 years and has now enabled the key component of Dive Site Rotation & Resting this involves removing moorings in turn and resting them from any diver traffic for an agreed period of time from 6 to 18 months. Little is known about the outcome from Rotating & Resting, but from piloting these programs, best practices can be learned and shared with other tropical destinations with coral reefs. Recently, ongoing efforts include the new Wildlife Interaction Zones that was new legislation put in place to protect the Southern Stingrays at the tourism sites of Stingray City and The Sand Bar. Legislation has also been put in place to prohibit divers from wearing gloves to help stop divers from touching corals.13

13

http://www.diverwire.com/post/scuba-travel-news

[17]

CHAPTER IV Conclusion and Observation

OUTCOME OF HYPOTHESIS The first hypothesis taken up by the researcher as: The stingrays which are fed by the tourists are unhealthy as compared to those who are not fed by the tourists, stands correct because through various case studies and inspections it has been found that the stingrays which are not fed by the humans have 80% better immune system than those which are being fed by the tourists at the tourist sites.. The second hypothesis taken up as: Preventing the tourists from feeding the stingrays would lead to the loss of tourism at the stingray city, also stands correct because it has been found that around 9,00,000 visitors visit at the stingray city every year out of which 7,80,000 are the cruise passengers which bring huge amount of profits to the tourism industry of Caribbean along with them. Therefore, any restriction not allowing the tourists the access to the stingrays at the sites would lead to a reduction in tourists visiting such sites and hence it may turn out to be a great loss to the tourism industry.

[18]

CONCLUSION The economy of the Cayman Islands is really dependent on tourism, so restriction on dive tour numbers would result in political opposition from tour operators and travel agencies. Assuming that demand continues to rise, it is unlikely that they would be able to raise tour fees sufficiently to compensate for reductions in numbers. It makes sense, economic as well as conservation, to develop a sustainable management plan for the site. One of the potential solutions is to incorporate Stingray City into the protected area system, so a management mechanism will be provide to co-ordinate a systematic study of the population dynamics and reproductive behavior of the rays, plus the enforcement of feeding regulations. It is impossible to prevent overcrowding without a management structure that combines some quota-based restriction of access with appropriate ecological studies. Ecological Impacts - Fed rays have negatively impacted fitness attributes (1) Higher parasite loads (2) Higher injury rates (3) Dependent on and unnaturally conditioned by diet (4) Lower serum proteins Rays are high-level predators within the ecosystem, and as such have few predators. Their low natural rate of mortality has allowed them to adopt a life history strategy focused on producing a few, large young. Compared to most bony fish, rays are long-lived, slow-growing, and have delayed maturation. Unfortunately, these same characteristics make rays highly vulnerable to human-induced pressures, such as fishing, habitat degradation and pollution. Rays are present in most marine ecosystems worldwide, and have a vital role in maintaining the health and function of these ecosystems. The challenge for marine science now is to ensure these rays are protected, so they do not quietly disappear before we can fully understand just how important they are.

[19]

SUGGESTIONS Education and awareness of the risks posed to stingrays are a key tactic in mitigating the negative impacts of tourism. Furthermore, measures should be taken to alleviate crowding conditions (leading to injuries and parasite transmission) at SCS by limiting the number of people and boats, or by expanding the site into nearby areas to accommodate the current level. Less food provisioned to the stingrays would also alleviate the stingray aggregation, and ensure that the stingrays resume foraging naturally and solitarily, further away from the tourist site. Additionally, safety devices on boat propellers, such as cages and guards, can also aid in reducing injuries. Future assessment should consider baseline (control) as well as tourism-induced parameters for key monitoring purposes, integrating both physiological and general tness (injury rates, open wounds, parasite loads) indicators as a basis for limits of acceptable change.

[20]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books Referred: Charles, A. Maddox, A preliminary study of stingray toxin Michael Luck, The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments

Nelson, J.S. (2006), Fishes of the World (fourth edition.) Meyer, P. (1997), Stingray injuries
Website Visited:
1) www.mightylaw.com. 2) www.wikipedia.com. 3) http://marinebio.org 4) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com 5) http://www.guardian.co.uk 6) http://www.tandfonline.com 7) http://www.tourism-master.nl 8) http://www.divephotoguide.com 9) http://www.scubaherald.com/more-police-to-control-stingray-city 10) http://www.caycompass.com 11) http://www.doe.ky
12) http://www.examiner.com

Journal Cited David Newsome, Impacts and risks associated with developing, but unsupervised, stingray tourism, International Journal of Tourism, Volume 6, Issue 5, September 2004, pp 305-398
[21]

Myra Shackley, Stingray City- Managing the Impact of Underwater Tourism in the Cayman Islands , Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Volume 6, Issue 4, 1998

Newspaper Article David Adam. Stingrays suffering from contact with wildlife tourists, study finds. The Guardian on the web. 29 May 2009

Dawid Bowen. More Police to Control Stingray City. Scuba Herald on web. 31 Oct 2011. Joe Shooman. Stingray City bar protest planned. Caymanian Compass. 30th December, 2009

Article in Electronic Magazine

Jessica Peelen, Impacts of diving: To dive or not to dive Tourism Destination Management November 25th, 2011

<http://www.tourism-master.nl/2011/11/25/impacts-of-diving-to-dive-or-not-to-dive/> < Jason Heller, Stingray City - Altering Stingray Behavior & Physiology April 14, 2009 city

http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-scuba-ocean-news/stingray

altering stingray behavior physiology/>

[22]