Abstract
This study assessed the impact of tourism on fish communities in similar
tidal pools with varying intensities of tourist activities on two
beaches in Ceará, Brazil: Iparana (less structured for tourism) and
Flecheiras (more structured). Visual censuses were conducted on days
with low visitation (LV, during the week) and high visitation (HV,
weekend) in 28 pools each. The study compared the responses of fish
communities between the beaches and the intensity of tourist visitation
in terms of species richness, abundance, and Shannon’s diversity index.
The similarity between tidal pool fish communities was also compared,
assuming taxonomic and trophic functional groups. Tourism structure,
visitation intensity, and their interaction significantly impacted
species richness and the Shannon diversity index. Beaches, visitation
intensity, and temperature affect community parameters and trophic
functional composition of the tidal pools. Tourism structure visitation
intensity mostly influenced species richness, abundance, and diversity.
Omnivorous species were more prevalent in areas where tourists provided
food, particularly in Flecheiras. The number of tourists significantly
altered the composition of fish assemblages in tidal pools, indicating
it is a crucial variable affecting the fish community.