Mark Orams

• PhD
• Auckland University of Technology

Introduction: Many coastal and island indigenous people have long-standing important relationships with marine mammals. In many cases whales and dolphins have been viewed as spiritual beings with strong connections to indigenous people's histories, and connections to the world around them. In other cases, they have been viewed as important guides a...

As the number of visitors to protected areas increases and their objectives become more complex, governing and managing protected area tourism is becoming increasingly challenging. Recent literature reflects a growing trend toward stakeholder involvement, including the private sector, NGOs, and local communities, in managing protected area tourism...

Introduction: Surfing has grown since the 1960s to become a global marine leisure activity. Traditionally, surfing is associated with tropical and temperate climates and a sea, sand, and sun setting. However, surfing's geographical spread now includes polar and sub-polar regions, areas where the cold and sea-conditions provide challenges to human s...

Motivation Amidst the highly polarized discourse on development aid in Pacific Islands, few studies explore the perspectives of local people. Missing from the literature is how the subjective experiences of Pacific Islands people responding and adapting to a sudden global disruption influence their perceptions of foreign aid. Faced by sudden shutdo...

Photovoice is a participatory action research method that aims to include the voices of groups by enabling people to record and reflect on their knowledge of issues they consider important. Drawing from critical pedagogy, feminist theory, and community-based approaches to document research, photovoice involves participants as collaborators by using...

This paper addresses the dearth of research into the roles high school teachers play in organising and leading international study tours offered by high schools in New Zealand (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the motivations and experiences of teachers involved in these tours. A grounded theory app...

Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge of the 21st century. Ultimately, extinctions of species are determined by birth and death rates; thus, conservation management of at-risk species is dependent on robust demographic data. In this study, data gathered from 381 (227 females, 154 males) long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas edwardii)...

Knowledge of population biological parameters can contribute to assessing the resilience of a population in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures. Southern Hemisphere long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas edwardii) are susceptible to high rates of live stranding-related mortality. However, the biological parameters of this populatio...

Souvenirs have become an integral part of consumptive tourism with marine curios being a common offering in coastal destinations. The Philippines, an emerging coastal destination is also a large exporter of marine shells. There is some overlap in the species exported as shell souvenirs and those that serve as an important protein source for coastal...

Marine mammal tourism in New Zealand has grown rapidly with tourists utilising different viewing platforms (e.g. boat-based, in-water encounters, land-based, and air-based) to view, swim with, and photograph marine mammals. New Zealand has been often held up internationally as a model country, having both the Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) (1...

More affordable travel opportunities have facilitated a swift rise in surf tourism, which is a growing multi-billion dollar global business niche within the broader sport tourism industry. It is argued that a growing number of surfers who are searching for the perfect wave without the crowds found in well-established surfing destinations are shifti...

Capturing images has long been recognized as influential in wildlife tourism experiences. With the ubiquity of Web 2.0 in people's everyday lives, images can now be shared instantaneously via social media platforms. The quest for 'photo-trophies' that can be liked, shared and reproduced may influence how tourists behave around wildlife. Trends such...

https://theconversation.com/swimming-with-whales-you-must-know-the-risks-and-when-its-best-to-keep-your-distance-145614

The Kingdom of Tonga is a one of the few countries worldwide that allow swim-with-whales tourism activities. Most of the tour operators are based in Vava’u archipelago which represents an important breeding ground for Oceania humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This study represents an assessment of the effects of swimmer approaches on humpba...

Conservation monitoring of highly mobile species in relatively inaccessible habitats presents a considerable challenge to wildlife biologists. Effective conservation strategies require knowledge of cetacean ecology that is often challenging and expensive to obtain. Despite their caveats, stranding data represent an underused resource to study the l...

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is revolutionizing marine mammal research. These include Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs, which have been successfully tested for several applications, including cetacean behavioural surveys. This study represents the first empirical assessment of the effects of in-water tourism interactions on c...

Over the past three decades, interacting with wildlife as a tourism activity has grown significantly and has transformed from a relatively rare experience into a mainstream tourism product. Tourism opportunities to watch, photograph and otherwise interact with animals in their natural environment have grown to include a range of species and setting...

To date, the focus of research into risks and safety in whale watching has tended to be on the safety of the whales (or dolphins/porpoises). This paper explores the issue from the human side of the interaction and considers boat-based whale-watching passenger safety by reviewing evidence from available legal case records and legislation in Australi...

Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming invaluable data collection platforms for cetacean research. In particular, multi-rotors can be used to measure whales and investigate their behavior. Moreover, VTOL UAVs are increasingly accessible for recreational and commercial pilots, and close encounters with whale...

Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga, is a well-established whale-watching destination in the South Pacific. Between July and October, the waters around the archipelago represent one of the most important breeding grounds for Oceania humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The Tongan government allows tourist swimming activities with whales and tour operator...

Male reproductive biology is described for the Southern Hemisphere long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas edwardii), a subspecies that regularly mass strands along the New Zealand coastline. Ten mass stranding events sampled over a 7-year period enabled assessments of key life history parameters. Sexual maturation in immature, maturing, and ma...

Using an exploratory case study approach, this research used semi‐structured interviews to investigate the motivations, expectations and experiences of high school students in New Zealand who travelled to Cambodia on a school supervised field‐trip. Findings suggest students are motivated by altruistic behaviour and the desire for unique experiences...

Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga, is a well-established whale-watching destination in the South Pacific. Between July and October the waters around the archipelago represent one of the major breeding grounds for Oceania humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). In addition, the Tongan government allows in-water interactions with whales, and tour operators...

Humans are transforming the coastal and marine tourism environment at an ever-increasing rate. Concurrently, the multiple amenities and natural resources of coastal zones and the reality of population growth contribute to omnipresent tourism user conflicts. This results in social, wicked, and super wicked problems that are value infused, difficult...

Poster presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the International Competence Network of Tourism Research and Education (ICNT) held at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in November 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, are finding applications in several ecological research areas since remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) technology has ceased to be a military prerogative. Fixed-wing RPA have been tested for line transect aerial surveys of geographically dispersed marine mammal species. Despite many advant...

Remote coastal communities often lack direct exposure to tourism activities, resulting in low levels of awareness of tourism. Low levels of awareness and limited understanding of tourism may nullify meaningful participation in widely advocated tourism planning and development strategies, such as community-based tourism (CBT). This paper presents da...

Surfing tourism has the potential to provide significant economic income and employment opportunities. However, the development of surfing tourism in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, has raised important questions regarding its impacts and sustainability. Economic leakages, increased pressure on the environment and resources, and adverse effects on...

Taking young people to polar regions for outdoor and environmental education purposes is becoming increasingly popular. Programmes such as Students on Ice and others seek to provide opportunities for young people to learn about the Arctic and Antarctica through direct experience and via their engagement with scientists and educators. These programm...

Coastal inhabitants in the less developed world face growing challenges associated with dependence on marine resources in decline. The development of alternative livelihoods is one potential solution to alleviate dependency on fisheries. Tourism continues to be suggested as a potential development strategy for coastal communities, yet surf-riding t...

Common dolphins, Delphinus sp., are one of the marine mammal species tourism operations in New Zealand focus on. While effects of cetacean-watching activities have previously been examined in coastal regions in New Zealand, this study is the first to investigate effects of commercial tourism and recreational vessels on common dolphins in an open oc...

Development strategies for remote artisanal fishing communities in the less developed world often promote tourism as an alternative livelihood. However, little is known regarding the perspectives of fisherfolk in these communities on tourism as a potential livelihood. Furthermore, there is a paucity of research into fisherfolks' understanding of to...

Cape Rodney–Okakari Point (Goat Island) Marine Reserve, established in 1975, is New Zealand's oldest and most visited marine protected area (MPA). This study reports on the experiences of its visitors. A self-reply questionnaire (n=305) using the real-time satisfaction (RTS) measurement was utilized to investigate peak summer visitors' activities,...

Coastal and marine tourism is a growing and increasingly important component of the wider tourism industry. Its influences are global and there are now no destinations, ecosystems, or human communities inaccessible for recreation and tourism. Thus, exploring tourism that focuses on coastal and marine settings is an important area for academic focus...

Eight commercial marine mammal tourism operators are permitted to view and swim with common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. This is despite a lack of baseline data on occurrence, habitat use or behavioural responses of dolphins to vessels. Between November 2010 and January 2013, 352 boat-based surveys were conducted from...

This article reports on a study that estimated the economic activity of snorkel-with-whales tourism in the small, isolated island group of Vava'u, Tonga. This research shows that these activities generate important economic and other benefits and that these benefits grew from a relatively modest USD500,000 per year in 1999 to USD5 million per year...

Surfing has evolved from a fringe counterculture recreational activity to a multibillion dollar global industry with a diverse range of equipment and millions of participants. The growth and influence of surfing, in its myriad of forms, has not been widely researched and is scarcely reported in the aca- demic literature. This article reviews the hi...

Aggression is often utilised in intraspecific com-petition to establish and maintain dominance hierarchies in social mammals. Here, we determine if aggressiveness in conditioned botos (Inia geoffrensis) during interactions with humans under provisioning is influenced by the presence or absence of food rewards and if provisioning leads to the establ...

A bstract The coastal distribution of Hector's dolphins and their attraction to vessels make them easily accessible to commercial tour operations. For over 25 yr, tour operators have been undertaking view and swim‐with‐dolphin trips in Akaroa Harbour, New Zealand. Since 2003, auditory stimulants, in particular stones, have been provided during such...

Within little more than a generation, whale-watching has been subject to global industrial development. It has been portrayed by destinations and business operators, and advocated by environmental groups, as a sustainable activity and an alternative to whaling. However, in recent years the sustainability of these activities has increasingly been qu...

Ubuntu, a traditional African concept, acknowledges interconnectedness between humans and between humans and nature. This concept is also central to the worldview of Maori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand, where the phrase kaitiakitanga is used to express the guardianship responsibilities Maori have with all living things. Such indige...

Coastal and marine tourism has the potential to radically transform natural and social systems. Responsibilities for the condition of complex natural and social systems are properly addressed in the context of sustainable development. Tourism governance-regarded as more than management- concerns structures and processes that can be described and im...

The South Island Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) is both endemic and endangered. It is also subjected to commercial ecotourism operations in Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula. The Hector's dolphin is an attractive species for swim-with-dolphin tourism. It is strictly coastal, resident in well-defined areas, has a low migratory rang...

The Amazon’s reputation and ability to draw tourists is strongly associated with the natural environment and with tourist’s ability to sight and interact with iconic animals. In Brazil, four cases of aggregations of wild boto (Amazon River dolphin; Inia geoffrensis), becoming conditioned to human contact through food provisioning are occurring in A...

At Akaroa Harbour, New Zealand, commercial dolphin based tourism has been operating since 1985. The species targeted is the endemic and endangered Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori). There are currently 32 trips permitted daily in the summer, 17 of which allow tourists to swim with the dolphins. Akaroa is the only location where com...

Here we present the first data describing the behavior of common dolphins (Delphinus sp.) in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Activity budgets are used to assess the effects of diel, season, depth, sea surface temperature, group size, and composition on dolphin behavior. Additionally, the presence/absence of Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) and Au...

New Zealand common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are subject to a range of human-induced threats including fisheries bycatch and tourism impacts. Common dolphins are incidentally captured in the trawl fishery for jack mackerel (Trachurus spp) and appear susceptible to entanglement within coastal set nets. Pollutant burdens and tourism impacts report...

The overall theme of the 6th Coastal and Marine Tourism congress is “The Spirit of Ubuntu, Connecting Continents, Places and People”. “The Spirit of Ubuntu” is a traditional African concept, acknowledging interconnectedness between humans and also between humans and nature. This concept is also central to the worldview of Maori, the indigenous peop...

Since mediaeval times the joker, jester, fool, or clown has been a privileged individual able to comment upon social structure, and parody rules, and authority while remaining immune from repercussions. Similar functions are fulfilled by their modern counterparts, and a study of workplace humor functions revealed the existence of jokers who created...

The common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) is the most frequently observed cetacean species in the Hauraki Gulf, a large shallow body of water on the northeastern coastline of North Island. New Zealand. Herein, we present the first data relating to the occurrence and distribution of common dolphins in this region and assess the possible effects of abiotic...

Common dolphins Delphinus sp. are frequently targeted by tourism operations in New Zealand waters, yet there is a paucity of data on potential impacts faced by this species. Transition matrix models, used widely in population ecology, have recently been applied to behavioural transitions in order to provide successful management guidelines. We deta...

Trace elements, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine (OC) pesticide levels were determined in tissues collected from stranded and bycaught common dolphins (Delphinus sp.) from New Zealand waters between 1999 and 2005. The concentrations of mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co),...

New Zealand is widely touted as a world leader in dolphin-based tourism. However, many questions remain regarding the impacts of tourism on targeted species. Banks Peninsula, is one of the strongholds of the endemic and endangered Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori), a species particularly vulnerable to disturbance. This population i...

Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) often are found in large aggregations offshore from the eastern coast of New Zealand. They are the primary target of at least six marine mammal tourism operations from Whakatane to the Hauraki Gulf. This report details the first longterm investigation of interactions between tourists and common dolph...

This report provides insights into the behavioural ecology of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in Mercury Bay, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand. The report also includes a preliminary assessment of the influence of tourism activity on common dolphins in the area. From 1998 to 2001 (excluding t...

A war on whales has developed between two groups on the issue of protection of whales, and is being fought at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), an international agency that looks after the management of large whales. The pro-protection group identifies the mammalian characteristics of whales, and recognize whales as an important symbol fo...

The growth of tourism based upon cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) has been relatively recent—but spectacular. Thus, these marine mammals have now become valuable as a tourism resource. Accompanying this growth are concerns regarding the potential impacts on “target” species. In New Zealand, marine mammal tourism has grown rapidly and a v...

We are fortunate to be alive at an unique time in history. The beginning of the third millennium is a natural point at which we should pause, look back and consider many things. The increasing influence that humans and our activities have had on the health and functioning of our planet is one of those things. When considering this, one of the issue...

It is widely recognized that tourism is one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries. Historically sandy beaches have played an important role as locations for recreation and as attractions upon which tourism development has been based. This use of beaches for recreation-and tourism has had significant impacts environmentally, socially...

The feeding behaviour of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) was observed over a 3-year period, off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. Six prey species were identified: jack mackerel (Trachurus novaezelandiae), kahawai (Arripis trutta), yellow-eyed mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri), flying fish (Cypselurus lineatus), parore (Gir...

The growth of whale-watching internationally has been spectacular. It now occurs in almost 100 countries and is estimated to be worth in excess of U.S.$1 billion each year in revenue. Thus, whales have become valuable as a resource for tourism. The Vava'u island group in the northern part of the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific is an area with...

Photo‐identification has been established as a helpful tool in cetacean research. However, no study to date has attempted to apply this method to short‐beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis L.). We present here the results of two studies that were conducted concurrently in Mercury Bay and the Hauraki Gulf on the north‐east coast of New Zealand'...