Tourists watch a newborn blacktip reef shark at the beach of Maya Bay in Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 24, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375, and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

The sun rises over Maya Bay's limestone mountains at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 27, 2023. On any given day in Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach flanked by towering cliffs. After a tourism ban and the COVID-19 pandemic between 2018 and 2022 halted all visitors to the bay, authorities allowed limited tourism to resume in 2022. Now conservationists say shark numbers are thinning out again, leaving Maya Bay struggling to strike a balance between preserving a pristine ecosystem and sustaining livelihoods dependent on tourism. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, from the Maya Shark Watch Project, arrives with her team members Jampon Khonthong, 38, and Wizchayuth Limungkoon, 41, to install their baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 23, 2023. With the number of sharks in Maya Bay already dwindling, authorities and conservationists are intent on keeping tourists from swimming in the bay and driving away the baby sharks, which hide in the shallows and coral reefs from the cannibalistic adults. "We are hoping that with the restrictions in place, we can mitigate the disturbance to (the sharks). We are doing this research in hopes that we can find the best way to manage and the best way for tourism and the environment to coexist," Metavee said. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A group of eight juvenile blacktip reef sharks swim in the early morning, during low tide, in the shallow waters used as a nursery, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 27, 2023. Blacktips, named after the distinctive black colouring on their dorsal fins and tails, roam the Andaman Sea and other tropical regions in decreasing numbers due to overfishing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

A newborn blacktip reef shark is silhouetted as it swims at night past the Maya Shark Watch Project's baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 27, 2023. Blacktips, named after the distinctive black colouring on their dorsal fins and tails, roam the Andaman Sea and other tropical regions in decreasing numbers due to overfishing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Sommawan Kasa, 29, a divemaster with the Maya Shark Watch Project, takes notes on a waterproof filming board as the group installs its baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 24, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, from the Maya Shark Watch Project, installs the team's baited remote underwater video station, along with her teammates Sommawan Kasa, 29, Paphassawan Sunthornkel, 33, Nuch Natwarachawisut, 29, and Jampon Khonthong, 38, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 23, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists pose for a picture as a newborn blacktip reef shark swims by the shore of the beach in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 24, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375, and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Tourists arrive for an hour-long visit to Maya Bay beach through a new pier constructed over a reef in Loh Samah Bay beach, at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 26, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375, and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Tourists take pictures at the beach on Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, in Krabi Province, Thailand, February 27, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375 and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A newborn blacktip reef shark, which is listed as a vulnerable species, swims in the shallow waters of Maya Bay in Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 26, 2023. Blacktips, named after the distinctive black colouring on their dorsal fins and tails, roam the Andaman Sea and other tropical regions in decreasing numbers due to overfishing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists watch a newborn blacktip reef shark at the beach in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 25, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375, and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists enjoy the beach during an hour-long visit, where swimming is forbidden and people are only allowed to enter water up to their knees, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, in Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 24, 2023. On any given day in Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach flanked by towering cliffs. After a tourism ban and the COVID-19 pandemic between 2018 and 2022 halted all visitors to the bay, authorities allowed limited tourism to resume in 2022. Now conservationists say shark numbers are thinning out again, leaving Maya Bay struggling to strike a balance between preserving a pristine ecosystem and sustaining livelihoods dependent on tourism. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists enter the beach for an hour-long visit, where swimming is forbidden and people are only allowed to enter water up to their knees, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 28, 2023. On any given day in Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach, flanked by towering cliffs. After a tourism ban and the COVID-19 pandemic between 2018 and 2022 halted all visitors to the bay, authorities allowed limited tourism to resume in 2022. Now conservationists say shark numbers are thinning out again, leaving Maya Bay struggling to strike a balance between preserving a pristine ecosystem and sustaining livelihoods dependent on tourism. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists arrive for an hour-long visit to Maya Bay beach through a new pier constructed over a reef in Loh Samah Bay beach at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 23, 2023. On any given day in Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach flanked by towering cliffs. After a tourism ban and the COVID-19 pandemic between 2018 and 2022 halted all visitors to the bay, authorities allowed limited tourism to resume in 2022. Now conservationists say shark numbers are thinning out again, leaving Maya Bay struggling to strike a balance between preserving a pristine ecosystem and sustaining livelihoods dependent on tourism. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Tourists arrive for an hour-long visit to Maya Bay beach, through a new pier constructed over a reef in Loh Samah Bay beach, at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 25, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach; visitors must walk to the beach; the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375 and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Members of the Maya Shark Watch Project team walk during low tide in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 24, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Sommawan Kasa, 29, Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, and Jampon Khonthong, 38, team members of the Maya Shark Watch Project, prepare to install their baited remote underwater video station in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 23, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, a team member of the Maya Shark Watch Project, flies a drone searching for sharks with her teammates Paphassawan Sunthornkel, 33, and Nuch Natwarachawisut, 29, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 24, 2023. With the number of sharks in Maya Bay already dwindling, authorities and conservationists are intent on keeping tourists from swimming in the bay and driving away the baby sharks, which hide in the shallows and coral reefs from the cannibalistic adults. "We are hoping that with the restrictions in place, we can mitigate the disturbance to (the sharks). We are doing this research in hopes that we can find the best way to manage and the best way for tourism and the environment to coexist," Metavee said. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Maya Shark Watch Project team members prepare to install their baited remote underwater video station in Maya Bay, at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 24, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Metavee Chuangcharoendee, 27, from the Maya Shark Watch Project, and who is also a marine biologist with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of Thailand, pauses while snorkelling as she removes pieces of abandoned fishing nets from a coral reef in Maya Bay, at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 26, 2023. With the number of sharks in Maya Bay already dwindling, authorities and conservationists are intent on keeping tourists from swimming in the bay and driving away the baby sharks, which hide in the shallows and coral reefs from the cannibalistic adults. "We are hoping that with the restrictions in place, we can mitigate the disturbance to (the sharks). We are doing this research in hopes that we can find the best way to manage and the best way for tourism and the environment to coexist," Metavee said. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Nuch Natwarachawisut, 29, and Sommawan Kasa, 29, members of the Maya Shark Watch Project, stay at their campsite in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 27, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A National Park ranger stamps entry tickets for Maya Bay visitors at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 25, 2023. Under pressure from tour operators, authorities reopened Maya Bay in January 2022 after four years of closure, and visitor and revenue figures are once again rising steadily. But authorities have maintained restrictions on access. Tour boats must dock on the other side of the island from the beach, visitors must walk to the beach, the number of visitors allowed every hour is capped at 375, and they are allowed to wade only knee-deep into the water. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Wizchayuth Limungkoon, 41, a former ranger and current team member of the Maya Shark Watch Project, takes a break as he waits to pick up cameras installed at their baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 25, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Wizchayuth Limungkoon, 41, and Jampon Khonthong, 38, team members of the Maya Shark Watch Project and Petch Manopawitr, 48, a marine life advisor to Thailand's National Parks Department, eat corn as they wait to pick up the cameras installed at their baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 25, 2023. "If you can create a new image of Maya Bay as a nature reserve ... I think that is actually going to create a new tourism scheme as well and we (are) going to benefit from it overall," said Petch. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. REFILE - CORRECTING SPELLING OF NAME 

Wizchayuth Limungkoon, 41, a former ranger and current team member of the Maya Shark Watch Project, prepares to get into the water to pick up cameras installed at their baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 25, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

The moon is seen from inside a cave in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 27, 2023. The green light pollution on the horizon is from squid fishing boats. A number of factors affect the sharks around Phi Phi Leh Island, including seasonal movement patterns and human activity like fishing. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Paphassawan Sunthornkel, 33, and Nuch Natwarachawisut, 29, members of the Maya Shark Watch Project team, check the water temperature in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 24, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Sommawan Kasa, 29, a divemaster with the Maya Shark Watch Project, takes notes on a waterproof filming board before filming with the group's baited remote underwater video station, in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand February 23, 2023. The Maya Shark Watch Project use underwater cameras and drones to count sharks and observe their behaviour, feeding areas, and breeding patterns. In the year between November 2021, when they initiated a pilot study, and the end of 2022, they noticed a decrease in the number of sharks as tourists gradually returned to Maya Bay. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A newborn blacktip reef shark, which is listed as a vulnerable species, swims at night in Maya Bay at the Phi Phi Island National Park, on Phi Phi Leh Island, Krabi province, Thailand, February 24, 2023. Blacktips, named after the distinctive black colouring on their dorsal fins and tails, roam the Andaman Sea and other tropical regions in decreasing numbers due to overfishing, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "SILVA THAILAND SHARKS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.