Tourists, selfies and coastal monitoring during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Citizen science in coastal ecosystems often involve (eco-)tourists that actively monitor reefs, species and pollution. Data collected by tourists, passively, was used to gain insight into landings of the largest fish, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), in Pangandaran Bay, Indonesia. Monitoring of illegal fishing was halted due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and lockdowns. With two million, mainly Indonesian, tourists visiting Pangandaran Bay in 2020 (30% less than in 2019) enough tourists were present to record landings of whale sharks. Monitoring social media revealed reports of 10 whale shark landings between August 2020 and August 2022. Seven were in July–August of immatures 6–7 m in length. The information passively provided by tourists since COVID-19 have given insights into the biology of whale sharks, landing risks and how communities interact with sharks. Feeding back this information to tourists is challenging, yet vital, to cement a sense of belonging, purpose and attachment to their holiday location.