In general, sharks have a reputation as swimming garbage cans that unflinchingly dine on whatever they can fit in their jaws. But in French Polynesia, blacktip reef sharks that frequent places where tourists toss them low-quality scraps are taking a hit to their metabolic and reproductive health, researchers report December 24 in Animal Conservation.
Around the world, snorkeling or diving tourists who want to see sharks in their natural habitat may lure them with food. A particularly popular location for shark feeding is Mo’orea, a small island near Tahiti. On the sand bank shallows, tourists in boats and kayaks congregate to see the sharks and stingrays, tossing them everything from