Since the place is out-of-the-way, except for the local fishermen who go onto the island to gather seaweed, oysters, and sea urchins, there's usually very little human traffic. For this reason Maoyu has become an island whose ecosystem is excellently preserved.
此外，由於地處僻隅，平日除了附近漁民偶爾會因捕魚之便，順道到島上的海蝕平台撿拾海菜、牡蠣、海膽之類的海產，此地少有外人涉足，因此貓嶼得以成為至今台灣保持最完整的海鳥生態區。