Does Feeding Sharks Change Their Behaviour? What French Polynesia Shows
French Polynesia is one of the best places on Earth to see sharks, and one of the best studied. Scientists here have asked again and again whether feeding changes sharks. The short answer: it depends on the species, the site and how the feeding is done. This is for divers and snorkellers who want an honest answer before choosing a shark dive in Moʻorea or Tahiti.
In short
- French Polynesia's environmental code, passed in October 2017, protects wild species from intentional disturbance, and the government says attracting fish, sharks or rays with food, gestures or noise is illegal.
- The science does not give one answer. Feeding was linked to lemon sharks in Moʻorea becoming more resident, did not raise site fidelity in tiger sharks off Tahiti, and was linked to poorer health markers in blacktip reef sharks.
- How sharks are fed matters for people too: hand-feeding and surface feeding have been linked to shark bites on divers.
A shark sanctuary with a feeding history
In 2006 French Polynesia declared a shark sanctuary of about 5.5 million km², protecting all shark and ray species, and the shortfin mako was added in 2012. For years, offering food to attract sharks was a normal part of shark tourism here, and Moʻorea became one of the places scientists studied it most closely.
Part of the reason was money. Over a 57-month study, researchers identified 39 sicklefin lemon sharks at one feeding site in Moʻorea and estimated the site brought in around USD 5.4 million a year in direct revenue at the time. The 13 sharks seen most often each contributed an average of about USD 316,699 a year. The authors used that figure to argue that a living shark is worth far more than a dead one. It is a historical value, not today's, and the same authors asked for studies of the long-term effects of feeding.
Lemon sharks: when feeding made sharks stay
Those studies came. In a 2010 paper in Marine Ecology Progress Series, Eric Clua and colleagues followed individually identified adult sicklefin lemon sharks at a Moʻorea feeding site over several years. Some sharks came and went, but overall they became more resident at the site during the study. The authors warned that moving less could raise the risk of inbreeding, recorded aggression between sharks and towards other species, and suggested closing the site for a period each year to reduce the change in behaviour.
How the food is given matters too. A later case study from French Polynesia looked at how lemon shark feeding changed between the early 1990s and 2013. It found that hand-feeding, "smelling" and surface feeding encouraged agonistic behaviour in the sharks, which led to accidental bites on divers, and that the amount of contact between sharks and people was the main driver of risk.
Tiger sharks: when it did not
Tiger sharks off Tahiti tell a different story. Researchers photo-identified 53 tiger sharks over more than 500 dives across five years at a provisioning site. Ten sharks made up over 75% of sightings, while 35 were seen only rarely. Even the most frequent visitors showed low site fidelity, with no increase over time, and the number of sharks per dive did not rise. Natural roaming along the coast and seasonal migrations explained the pattern better than the food did. The authors still recommended a strict code of conduct for any future provisioning.
That result does not hold everywhere. At Bimini in the Bahamas, great hammerheads that attended feeding events reduced the space they used, and the effect grew stronger over five years in a row, while hammerheads that never attended did not change. We look at a similar question in the Maldives in are Fuvahmulah's tiger sharks really wild if food is used.
Blacktip reef sharks: memory and health
In Moʻorea's lagoon, the story is about memory and body condition. Researchers took blood samples from 117 adult blacktip reef sharks at feeding and non-feeding sites around the island. The study, published online in late 2024 in Animal Conservation, found that sharks at feeding sites had lower haematocrit, a marker of condition. In the breeding season, females at feeding sites had lower glucose and lower oestradiol, a sign they were investing less in reproduction. The authors suggest the food offered is poor or unpredictable nutrition, and describe feeding as a possible ecological trap.
Not every effect is dramatic. A survey of 1,117 groupers and snappers along Moʻorea's north coast found more shark-parasite larvae in one grouper species near feeding sites, but the authors judged the impact limited and saw no effect on fish health.
Is shark feeding legal in French Polynesia?
Law of the Country 2017-25, dated 5 October 2017, set out French Polynesia's environmental code. Its wording forbids intentionally disturbing wild species, and it also restricts attracting them with gestures, noise or the promise of food. In August 2025 the government's tourism service said it plainly: attracting fish, sharks, rays or any other animal with food, gestures or noise is dangerous and illegal, with fines of up to 17,800,000 XPF and two years in prison where protected species are harmed. Yet research published later still describes a site where artificial feeding of blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays started again after the 2020 lockdown. So the practical lesson for visitors is simple. Do not assume what a "shark dive" means. Ask.
How to experience it respectfully
You do not need food to see sharks in French Polynesia. Blacktip reef sharks patrol the lagoons, and many reefs have resident sharks that are simply part of the scene. Before you book, ask the operator directly whether bait, fish scraps or any feeding is used, and what legal basis they work under. A clear, calm answer is a good sign. On the boat ride out, a roll-top dry bag keeps your phone and papers dry, so you can listen to the briefing instead of worrying about spray.
In the water, stay horizontal and calm, never touch or chase a shark, and keep your hands close to your body. Do not take food or fish into the water. A mask that fits well helps more than people think, because fiddling with a leaking mask is exactly the kind of jerky movement you want to avoid; we keep a short list of low-volume masks and snorkels if yours needs replacing. If you want to remember the sharks, a small underwater camera is enough. The shark decides how close it comes, never the lens. Follow the spirit of Law 2017-25: no attracting animals with gestures, noise or food. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Snorkelling and diving with sharks should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. And if you want to see how these sharks live without our help, read Moʻorea's reef shark social network and how tourism can protect sharks.
Questions people ask
Is shark feeding legal in French Polynesia?
The environmental code adopted in 2017 protects wild species from intentional disturbance, and in 2025 the government's tourism service called attracting animals with food, gestures or noise illegal. How it is applied at particular sites is a question to put to your operator and, if needed, to the local authorities.
Does feeding make sharks more dangerous?
Research from French Polynesia linked hand-feeding, surface feeding and close contact with bites on divers. That is a reason to avoid those practices, not a reason to fear sharks in general.
If tiger sharks were not affected, why worry?
Because other species were. Lemon sharks became more resident and blacktip reef sharks showed poorer health markers at feeding sites. One species cannot speak for all.
Can I still see sharks without feeding?
Yes. Sharks are common on many French Polynesian reefs and lagoons. Encounters are never guaranteed, but they do not depend on food.
Which shark species did the French Polynesia studies look at?
The studies here followed sicklefin lemon sharks and blacktip reef sharks in Moʻorea, and tiger sharks off Tahiti. Each species responded differently, which is why there is no single answer.
Did stopping the feeding during the 2020 lockdown help?
Only partly. A study in Ethology found that blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays almost left one site during a six-week pause, but some returned to the sound of a boat engine alone before feeding restarted. The authors concluded that conditioning lasts for weeks, so short pauses do little.
To meet French Polynesia's sharks on their own terms, explore our French Polynesia Atlas page and the tiger shark species guide.
If this made you curious about these waters, with no food and nothing chased, you can explore our Moʻorea retreat in September 2027, a small hosted group from CHF 4,500 per person in a double room shared with your own partner or friend.
Wildlife encounters 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
- ILO NATLEX, 2017. Loi du pays n° 2017-25 relative au Code de l'environnement de la Polynésie française.
- Te Ora Naho FAPE, 2018. La Polynésie, sanctuaire intégral des requins: le shark feeding y est désormais interdit.
- Clua E. et al., 2010. Behavioural response of sicklefin lemon sharks Negaprion acutidens to underwater feeding for ecotourism purposes. Marine Ecology Progress Series.
- Clua E. et al., 2011. Business partner or simple catch? The economic value of the sicklefin lemon shark in French Polynesia. Marine and Freshwater Research.
- Clua E., 2018. Managing bite risk for divers in the context of shark feeding ecotourism: a case study from French Polynesia. Tourism Management.
- Séguigne C. et al., 2023. Provisioning ecotourism does not increase tiger shark site fidelity. Scientific Reports.
- Séguigne C. et al., 2021. Effects of a COVID-19 lockdown-induced pause and resumption of artificial provisioning on blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays in French Polynesia. Ethology.
- Mills S.C. et al., 2024 (online; 2025 issue). Shark feeding affects health and female reproductive investment in blacktip reef sharks from French Polynesia. Animal Conservation.
- Vignon M. et al., 2010. Impact of shark-feeding tourism on surrounding fish populations off Moorea Island. Marine and Freshwater Research.
- Heim V. et al., 2024. Multiyear tourism-related feeding reduces short- and long-term local space use in a marine apex predator. Animal Behaviour.
- Mongabay, 2024. 18 years on, how are sharks faring in French Polynesia's shark sanctuary?
- Service du Tourisme de la Polynésie française, 29 August 2025. [SENSIBILISATION] Stop au SharkFeeding (government notice: feeding and attracting marine animals is illegal)
Further reading on Ocean Calling: More from the Journal · Ocean Atlas
Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea: an ethical whale retreat
Whale encounter retreat · Moʻorea, French Polynesia
Time in the blue, on the whales’ terms. This story is about French Polynesia, where we run our whale trip.
Explore in the Ocean Atlas
Places in this article
Animals in this article
Keep reading
Does Feeding Sharks Change Their Behaviour? What French Polynesia Shows
French Polynesia is one of the best places on Earth to see sharks, and one of the best studied. Scientists here have asked again and again whether feeding changes sharks. The short answer: it depends on the species, the site and how the feeding is done. This is for divers and snorkellers who want an honest answer before choosing a shark dive in Moʻorea or Tahiti.
In short
- French Polynesia's environmental code, passed in October 2017, protects wild species from intentional disturbance, and the government says attracting fish, sharks or rays with food, gestures or noise is illegal.
- The science does not give one answer. Feeding was linked to lemon sharks in Moʻorea becoming more resident, did not raise site fidelity in tiger sharks off Tahiti, and was linked to poorer health markers in blacktip reef sharks.
- How sharks are fed matters for people too: hand-feeding and surface feeding have been linked to shark bites on divers.
A shark sanctuary with a feeding history
In 2006 French Polynesia declared a shark sanctuary of about 5.5 million km², protecting all shark and ray species, and the shortfin mako was added in 2012. For years, offering food to attract sharks was a normal part of shark tourism here, and Moʻorea became one of the places scientists studied it most closely.
Part of the reason was money. Over a 57-month study, researchers identified 39 sicklefin lemon sharks at one feeding site in Moʻorea and estimated the site brought in around USD 5.4 million a year in direct revenue at the time. The 13 sharks seen most often each contributed an average of about USD 316,699 a year. The authors used that figure to argue that a living shark is worth far more than a dead one. It is a historical value, not today's, and the same authors asked for studies of the long-term effects of feeding.
Lemon sharks: when feeding made sharks stay
Those studies came. In a 2010 paper in Marine Ecology Progress Series, Eric Clua and colleagues followed individually identified adult sicklefin lemon sharks at a Moʻorea feeding site over several years. Some sharks came and went, but overall they became more resident at the site during the study. The authors warned that moving less could raise the risk of inbreeding, recorded aggression between sharks and towards other species, and suggested closing the site for a period each year to reduce the change in behaviour.
How the food is given matters too. A later case study from French Polynesia looked at how lemon shark feeding changed between the early 1990s and 2013. It found that hand-feeding, "smelling" and surface feeding encouraged agonistic behaviour in the sharks, which led to accidental bites on divers, and that the amount of contact between sharks and people was the main driver of risk.
Tiger sharks: when it did not
Tiger sharks off Tahiti tell a different story. Researchers photo-identified 53 tiger sharks over more than 500 dives across five years at a provisioning site. Ten sharks made up over 75% of sightings, while 35 were seen only rarely. Even the most frequent visitors showed low site fidelity, with no increase over time, and the number of sharks per dive did not rise. Natural roaming along the coast and seasonal migrations explained the pattern better than the food did. The authors still recommended a strict code of conduct for any future provisioning.
That result does not hold everywhere. At Bimini in the Bahamas, great hammerheads that attended feeding events reduced the space they used, and the effect grew stronger over five years in a row, while hammerheads that never attended did not change. We look at a similar question in the Maldives in are Fuvahmulah's tiger sharks really wild if food is used.
Blacktip reef sharks: memory and health
In Moʻorea's lagoon, the story is about memory and body condition. Researchers took blood samples from 117 adult blacktip reef sharks at feeding and non-feeding sites around the island. The study, published online in late 2024 in Animal Conservation, found that sharks at feeding sites had lower haematocrit, a marker of condition. In the breeding season, females at feeding sites had lower glucose and lower oestradiol, a sign they were investing less in reproduction. The authors suggest the food offered is poor or unpredictable nutrition, and describe feeding as a possible ecological trap.
Not every effect is dramatic. A survey of 1,117 groupers and snappers along Moʻorea's north coast found more shark-parasite larvae in one grouper species near feeding sites, but the authors judged the impact limited and saw no effect on fish health.
Is shark feeding legal in French Polynesia?
Law of the Country 2017-25, dated 5 October 2017, set out French Polynesia's environmental code. Its wording forbids intentionally disturbing wild species, and it also restricts attracting them with gestures, noise or the promise of food. In August 2025 the government's tourism service said it plainly: attracting fish, sharks, rays or any other animal with food, gestures or noise is dangerous and illegal, with fines of up to 17,800,000 XPF and two years in prison where protected species are harmed. Yet research published later still describes a site where artificial feeding of blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays started again after the 2020 lockdown. So the practical lesson for visitors is simple. Do not assume what a "shark dive" means. Ask.
How to experience it respectfully
You do not need food to see sharks in French Polynesia. Blacktip reef sharks patrol the lagoons, and many reefs have resident sharks that are simply part of the scene. Before you book, ask the operator directly whether bait, fish scraps or any feeding is used, and what legal basis they work under. A clear, calm answer is a good sign. On the boat ride out, a roll-top dry bag keeps your phone and papers dry, so you can listen to the briefing instead of worrying about spray.
In the water, stay horizontal and calm, never touch or chase a shark, and keep your hands close to your body. Do not take food or fish into the water. A mask that fits well helps more than people think, because fiddling with a leaking mask is exactly the kind of jerky movement you want to avoid; we keep a short list of low-volume masks and snorkels if yours needs replacing. If you want to remember the sharks, a small underwater camera is enough. The shark decides how close it comes, never the lens. Follow the spirit of Law 2017-25: no attracting animals with gestures, noise or food. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Snorkelling and diving with sharks should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. And if you want to see how these sharks live without our help, read Moʻorea's reef shark social network and how tourism can protect sharks.
Questions people ask
Is shark feeding legal in French Polynesia?
The environmental code adopted in 2017 protects wild species from intentional disturbance, and in 2025 the government's tourism service called attracting animals with food, gestures or noise illegal. How it is applied at particular sites is a question to put to your operator and, if needed, to the local authorities.
Does feeding make sharks more dangerous?
Research from French Polynesia linked hand-feeding, surface feeding and close contact with bites on divers. That is a reason to avoid those practices, not a reason to fear sharks in general.
If tiger sharks were not affected, why worry?
Because other species were. Lemon sharks became more resident and blacktip reef sharks showed poorer health markers at feeding sites. One species cannot speak for all.
Can I still see sharks without feeding?
Yes. Sharks are common on many French Polynesian reefs and lagoons. Encounters are never guaranteed, but they do not depend on food.
Which shark species did the French Polynesia studies look at?
The studies here followed sicklefin lemon sharks and blacktip reef sharks in Moʻorea, and tiger sharks off Tahiti. Each species responded differently, which is why there is no single answer.
Did stopping the feeding during the 2020 lockdown help?
Only partly. A study in Ethology found that blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays almost left one site during a six-week pause, but some returned to the sound of a boat engine alone before feeding restarted. The authors concluded that conditioning lasts for weeks, so short pauses do little.
To meet French Polynesia's sharks on their own terms, explore our French Polynesia Atlas page and the tiger shark species guide.
If this made you curious about these waters, with no food and nothing chased, you can explore our Moʻorea retreat in September 2027, a small hosted group from CHF 4,500 per person in a double room shared with your own partner or friend.
Wildlife encounters 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
- ILO NATLEX, 2017. Loi du pays n° 2017-25 relative au Code de l'environnement de la Polynésie française.
- Te Ora Naho FAPE, 2018. La Polynésie, sanctuaire intégral des requins: le shark feeding y est désormais interdit.
- Clua E. et al., 2010. Behavioural response of sicklefin lemon sharks Negaprion acutidens to underwater feeding for ecotourism purposes. Marine Ecology Progress Series.
- Clua E. et al., 2011. Business partner or simple catch? The economic value of the sicklefin lemon shark in French Polynesia. Marine and Freshwater Research.
- Clua E., 2018. Managing bite risk for divers in the context of shark feeding ecotourism: a case study from French Polynesia. Tourism Management.
- Séguigne C. et al., 2023. Provisioning ecotourism does not increase tiger shark site fidelity. Scientific Reports.
- Séguigne C. et al., 2021. Effects of a COVID-19 lockdown-induced pause and resumption of artificial provisioning on blacktip reef sharks and pink whiprays in French Polynesia. Ethology.
- Mills S.C. et al., 2024 (online; 2025 issue). Shark feeding affects health and female reproductive investment in blacktip reef sharks from French Polynesia. Animal Conservation.
- Vignon M. et al., 2010. Impact of shark-feeding tourism on surrounding fish populations off Moorea Island. Marine and Freshwater Research.
- Heim V. et al., 2024. Multiyear tourism-related feeding reduces short- and long-term local space use in a marine apex predator. Animal Behaviour.
- Mongabay, 2024. 18 years on, how are sharks faring in French Polynesia's shark sanctuary?
- Service du Tourisme de la Polynésie française, 29 August 2025. [SENSIBILISATION] Stop au SharkFeeding (government notice: feeding and attracting marine animals is illegal)
Further reading on Ocean Calling: More from the Journal · Ocean Atlas
Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea: an ethical whale retreat
Whale encounter retreat · Moʻorea, French Polynesia
Time in the blue, on the whales’ terms. This story is about French Polynesia, where we run our whale trip.
Explore in the Ocean Atlas
Places in this article
Animals in this article