SAFE SPACE
Reef manta rays like hanging out in marine protected areas, according to new research carried out by scientists in Australia
Reef manta rays are fond of protected areas
Reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) are one of the world’s biggest ray species, inhabiting tropical and subtropical regions of the
Indian and West Pacific Oceans. Their
habit of frequenting shallow waters around coastal reefs makes them an iconic animal for ecotourism, but also
makes them a target for the fisheries that
hunt them for their body parts, which are highly prized in traditional medicine. The ocean giants are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCl Red List of Threatened Species.
Their migration movements are little understood, so a team of researchers from Australia wanted to change that in order to help with conservation efforts. They used satellite tags and more than a decade’s worth of photographic data to identify 1,121 individual animals that live and travel between lingaloo Coast and
Shark $ay s two UN'SCO World Heritage
Areas on Australia’s western coast.
“Satellite tags allow us a short peek into the secret lives of these animals to understand where else they frequent outside of key tourism locations, while
photographic identification helps us track
visitation over longer periods,” explained lead author Amelia Armstrong, from the University of oueensland.
Although reef mantas are capable of migrations of at least 1,100km, the team found that many of the individuals
they studied had a long-term affinity to
locations in lingaloo, with 9.8 per cent of the individuals remaining there for more than 10 years. The greatest distance a ray travelled after tagging was 700km.
“This is a great discovery for the reef manta rays on this coastline, because these protected areas provide the legislative framework needed to underpin further management action,” said Armstrong.