Impacts of sun protection on feeding behavior and mucus removal of bonefish, Albula vulpes

Autor: Kelly D. Hannan, Aaron D. Shultz, Christopher R. Haak, Zachary C. Zuckerman
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Biology of Fishes. 98:2297-2304
ISSN: 1573-5133
0378-1909
DOI: 10.1007/s10641-015-0457-6
Popis: Catch-and-release angling is growing as a tool for the conservation of fish stocks because it assumes that the impacts of angling are negligible. However, many studies have shown that catch-and-release can be stressful to the fish and even result in mortality. Bonefishing represents a popular catch-and-release fishery in the tropics and subtropics, with most anglers spending 6+ hours per day in full sunlight. To protect themselves, anglers typically employ sun protection in the form of liquid sunscreen and UV-blocking clothing. Exposure to chemicals contained in sunscreens may impose additional stressors on fish that are handled and subsequently released. In this study we conducted two separate experiments in the lab facilities in Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas. The first examined bonefish feeding behaviors in response to bait handled with zinc-based sunscreen, oxybenzone-based sunscreen, and no coating on the researcher’s hands. The second experiment quantified the effects of sunscreens and UV blocking gloves on the removal of fish’s protective mucus layer as a result of handling. We did not observe evidence of a change in feeding behavior when bait was handled with hands covered in sunscreen compared to wet hands. However, there was an increase in removal of protective mucus of bonefish when researcher’s hands were coated in oxybenzone containing sunscreen compared to researchers handling fish with wet hands. The results of this study indicate wet hands are the best way to handle fish when participating in catch-and-release angling.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz: