1. Shark‐based tourism continues to be a rapidly growing industry, and thus understanding the impacts of such activities is essential to mitigate the potential negative effects on the target species. The consequences of provisioning on whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are not fully understood, although changes to the local environment, ecology, behaviour, and site visitation patterns have been highlighted. Here, the scarring patterns of whale sharks were investigated at a provisioning site in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines, as an indicator of the physical impacts of tourism activities on individual sharks. Photographic identification was used to attribute scars to individual animals (n = 152) between March 31, 2012 and January 31, 2015.
2. Scars were categorized by type and body location, and were compared with non‐provisioned aggregations in Australia, Mozambique, and Seychelles. Oslob whale sharks were more scarred than other studied populations, with 94.7% (n = 144) having at least one scar, and with 90.8% (n = 138) having more than one scar. Scarring incidence was found to be significantly higher in sharks that regularly visited the provisioning site, and analysis of scarring over time in highly resident sharks showed that all individuals gained scars through periods of consistent re‐sightings. A significantly higher incidence of minor scar types was found, most commonly on the dorsal side of the animal, probably resulting from sustained proximity to boats and ropes throughout the provisioning activities. The consequences of interactions with propeller boats were observed, despite a ban on their use in the provisioning site, highlighting the risk to the species beyond the study site.
3. We recommend the strict enforcement of a minimum distance between boats and sharks, a zero‐contact policy during interactions, the expansion of the provisioning site, and the implementation of a no‐boat‐access zone around the perimeter of the provisioning site to mitigate potential collisions.

中文翻译：

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菲律宾的一个捕捞地点，鲸鲨的Rhincodon typus形成疤痕

1. 鲨鱼旅游业仍然是一个快速发展的行业，因此，了解此类活动的影响对于减轻对目标物种的潜在负面影响至关重要。尽管强调了当地环境，生态，行为和实地考察模式的变化，但对鲸鲨（Rhincodon typus）的供应的后果尚未完全了解。在这里，在菲律宾宿雾的奥斯洛布（Oslob）的一个供应地点调查了鲸鲨的疤痕形态，以此作为旅游活动对个别鲨鱼的物理影响的指标。在2012年3月31日至2015年1月31日期间，使用照片识别技术将疤痕归因于单个动物（n = 152）。
2. 疤痕按类型和身体位置分类，并与澳大利亚，莫桑比克和塞舌尔群岛的非临时性疤痕进行比较。奥斯陆鲸鲨的疤痕比其他研究种群更深，其中94.7％（n = 144）至少有一条疤痕，而90.8％（n= 138）有多个疤痕。发现定期访问供应站点的鲨鱼的疤痕发生率显着更高，并且对居住在高度高的鲨鱼中随着时间推移而形成的疤痕进行分析后发现，所有个体都通过持续的监督而获得了疤痕。发现轻微疤痕类型的发生率更高，最常见的是在动物的背侧，这可能是由于在整个供应活动中持续靠近船和绳索造成的。尽管禁止在供应场所使用螺旋桨船，但仍观察到了与螺旋桨船相互作用的后果，这突显了该物种在研究站点以外的风险。
3. 我们建议严格执行船与鲨鱼之间的最小距离，在交互过程中采取零接触政策，扩展供应站点以及在供应站点周边实施禁船区的做法，以减轻潜在的影响碰撞。