In August 2019, Hawaii's Molokini island attracted over 40,000 tourists for snorkeling and diving. However, in March 2020, the global COVID lockdown brought that number down to nearly zero. The sudden and prolonged decrease in visitors to one of the world's most renowned snorkeling destinations p
SCUBA divers monitor fish within Molokini’s submerged crater during Hawaii’s COVID lockdown. Comparing these data with those from similar pre- and post-lockdown surveys allowed the researchers to detect differences in fish community structure caused by human presence. Credit: Dr. Kevin Weng/Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The study’s lead author, Dr. Kevin Weng of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, says “The COVID-related tourism freeze provided a unique natural experiment to measure the effects of decreased tourism on fish behavior in a high-use, no-take marine protected area.” Joining Weng on the study were Dr. Alan Friedlander and Whitney Goodell of the National Geographic Society and Dr. Laura Gajdzik and Russell Sparks of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The current study focused on the impacts of these non-consumptive uses. “Our research demonstrates that human presence alone can alter the community structure and possibly the functioning of an ecosystem,” says Weng. “This means we can improve how tourism is configured in Hawaii and around the world to reduce the impacts of human presence.”present in an ecosystem.
The observed changes in predator biomass were also reflected in the fish’s behavior. Before the COVID lockdown, jacks were known to leave the inside of the crater during the morning peak in tourist visits. However, during the lockdown, they remained in the shallow, sheltered interior. These predators were quickly displaced from this shallow-water habitat when tourism resumed.
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