How Tourism Can Protect Sharks

Wall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue water. Photo: Oliver Tsappis, Unsplash

A reef shark circling slowly over a dive site in Palau will never know it, but economists once tried to put a price on it. That small fact sits in the middle of a big question: can tourism protect sharks? Yes, it can, but only under certain conditions. Done well, tourism gives people a reason to keep sharks alive. Done badly, it changes their behaviour and adds pressure. Here is what the evidence says, and how to tell the difference.

Can tourism protect sharks instead of harming them?

Sharks still carry a reputation they do not deserve. Decades of dramatic headlines painted them as something to fear, while the science tells a much calmer story: sharks are a normal, necessary part of a healthy ocean. Done well, tourism can be part of protecting them, not only looking at them.

I want to be honest about the "done well" part, because it matters more than the marketing usually admits. Shark tourism is not automatically good for sharks. It depends on how it is run, who benefits, and whether the rules on paper are followed in the water.

Why sharks matter to a healthy ocean

Many shark species sit at or near the top of the food chain, and that place is not decorative. By shaping where prey species feed and keeping their numbers in check, sharks help keep reef and open-ocean food webs in balance. Take a top predator out of a system that evolved around it, and the effects can spread in ways that are hard to predict and even harder to undo. We go into this in more depth in our piece on why sharks matter to ocean ecosystems.

Now the sobering part. A major 2021 study published in Nature tracked oceanic sharks and rays and found that their global abundance has fallen by 71% since 1970. The authors link this mainly to fishing, with relative fishing pressure rising about eighteen-fold over the same period, and they found that three-quarters of the oceanic shark and ray species in this group are now threatened with extinction.

That is the background for judging shark tourism. Not as a nice extra, but as one of the few economic arguments that has really helped change policy in some places.

Tourism as a reason to protect, not exploit

For a long time, a shark in many parts of the world was worth something only once it was caught. Tourism offers a different equation: a shark that keeps showing up, season after season, can generate ongoing income for guides, boat operators and local businesses, instead of a single payout.

Palau is the clearest example. In 2009 it declared the world's first shark sanctuary, banning shark fishing in its waters, a decision that recognised how important sharks were both to its economy and to its marine ecosystems. A study of shark diving in Palau, summarised by the Pew Charitable Trusts, estimated that the industry brought about US$18 million a year, around 8% of the country's GDP. It also estimated that an individual reef shark at a popular dive site was worth about US$179,000 a year to tourism, or about US$1.9 million over its lifetime, compared with about US$108 if it was caught and sold.

I want to be careful with that number, because the line "a shark is worth more alive than dead" gets repeated a lot. It is an estimate for specific sharks at specific dive sites in one small country with a strong dive industry. It does not mean every shark everywhere has that value, and it is not a substitute for proper fisheries management.

In Tanzania, WWF describes whale shark tourism around Mafia Island as one of the main sources of income for the local community, with peak sighting season roughly October to March. Even there, Tanzanian press has reported local voices saying the island gains less from its sharks than it could, partly because transport is costly and few visitors make the trip. Who actually benefits is a fair question to keep asking anywhere.

What does a responsible shark encounter look like?

Good operators design encounters around the animal's behaviour, not the guest's photo. In practice that means keeping a respectful distance and never touching or chasing. It means small groups in the water, not crowds, and experienced guides who can read shark behaviour. There is no feeding or baiting to force a closer moment, and local marine park rules and seasonal limits are followed.

None of this guarantees a sighting. Sharks are wild animals, not props, and a responsible operator will say so honestly instead of promising an encounter. Feeding and baiting are a separate and complicated debate; we look at it in baited shark dives: ethics and evidence.

Education quietly does a lot of the work

A lot of the fear around sharks comes from never having seen one in a calm setting. Watching a shark move through its own home, unhurried and not interested in people, often changes someone's view more than any amount of reading. Good guides use that moment to explain the animal's biology and the pressures it faces, and that is often where real interest in conservation begins.

Seeing clearly helps here. A mask that fits well means you spend the dive looking at the animal, not fighting a leak. And if you like to film, a small underwater camera used from where you are, without moving closer, can turn a calm encounter into something you share with people who still fear sharks.

Marine protected areas and community benefits

In several regions, shark tourism has helped build the case for marine protected areas, zones where destructive fishing is restricted and life gets a chance to recover. Entrance fees, permits and guide services in these areas can help fund monitoring and research. We explain why strong protection matters in why marine protected areas matter.

The same areas tend to support real jobs: dive guides, boat crews, researchers and small guesthouses, all with a direct interest in the ecosystem staying healthy. When conservation and local income point the same way, protection is easier to keep going over the long term than when it depends on outside money alone.

Choosing an operator that really protects sharks

If you are thinking about a shark encounter, a few honest questions help before you book. Does the operator follow clear wildlife guidelines, and can they explain them? Are the groups really small? Do you learn something, or is it only a photo stop? Do they support any conservation or research work, even a small one? And are they open about the fact that sightings cannot be guaranteed?

We wrote a longer guide to choosing ethical wildlife experiences if you want to go further. The same questions work well beyond sharks. We also only work with local, vetted guides who know these animals and these waters, rather than anyone offering the cheapest boat out.

A balanced view

Tourism will not fix shark conservation on its own. That still needs fisheries rules, enforcement and research, and no dive trip replaces them. Travel also has its own cost, starting with the flights that bring us to these places. But where it is done carefully, tourism has given some communities and governments a real, practical reason to choose protection over extraction. That is not a small thing.

Seeing a shark in open water, at a respectful distance, usually leaves people with more curiosity than fear, and a little more reason to care about the ocean once they are back on land. If you would like to share that kind of calm moment with a small group, you can look at our upcoming retreats.

Questions people ask

How much have shark populations declined?

A 2021 study in Nature found that the global abundance of oceanic sharks and rays fell by 71% since 1970, mainly because of fishing, and that three-quarters of oceanic species in that group are threatened with extinction.

Is a shark really worth more alive than dead?

In Palau, researchers estimated a reef shark at a popular dive site was worth about US$179,000 a year to tourism, against about US$108 as a catch. That is one country's estimate, not a universal number.

Which country created the first shark sanctuary?

Palau, in 2009, when it banned shark fishing in its waters, recognising the value of sharks to its economy and its marine ecosystems.

Does all shark tourism help sharks?

No. It helps when it gives local people a lasting reason to protect sharks and when encounters respect the animals. It can harm when it crowds, chases or conditions them.

Are shark sightings guaranteed on an ethical trip?

No. Sharks are wild animals. An honest operator will tell you that clearly instead of promising an encounter.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Shark encounters should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. They are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.

Sources & further reading

Further reading on Ocean Calling: More from the journal · Wildlife & the law · See the retreats · Ocean Atlas