THE MALDIVES’
MANTA RAYS
The Maldives supports the largest known population of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) anywhere in the world and these charismatic creatures have become an iconic species for the island nation. Often described as gentle giants, manta rays are completely harmless, eating only zooplankton and possessing no harmful defense mechanisms such as a barb in their tail. Reef manta rays can grow up to 4.5 meters in diameter (wingtip to wingtip) while oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) can grow to up to 6.8 meters. The size of these animals and their social nature makes them magical to interact with and many tourists visit the Maldives with a keen desire to encounter manta rays.
For divers and snorkelers, the Maldives is one of the most world-renowned destinations for manta ray encounters. Manta rays are therefore an incredibly important economic resource for the Maldives, bringing tens of thousands of people to the country each year to dive and snorkel with them, and generating millions of USD for the economy annually. In the Maldives, manta rays are protected from targeted fisheries following bans initiated between 1995-1996 (Anderson et al., 2011b; MRC, 2006). Although manta rays are not fished in the Maldives they are still highly vulnerable to the increasing pressures of tourism development - habitat degradation and increases in unsustainable tourism activities.
MANTA RAYS aND
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
At Six Senses Laamu, the Manta Trust team joins every guest excursion to the local aggregation sites to provide guests with a briefing on manta rays, conduct research and take photographs during the dive. During the briefing, the team will introduce you to the manta rays in Laamu, explain how to interact with manta rays and share tips on how to take ID photographs of the manta rays. After each dive, a member of the Manta Trust team will help you identify any mantas photographed and if you encounter a new individual, you may be given the opportunity to name the manta. If you are interested in becoming even more involved in the research at the resort, you can also enroll in a PADI Distinctive Specialty Course taught by the Manta Trust and Deep Blue Divers.
MANTA RAY
RESEARCH
MANTA RAY
POPULATION STUDIES
Like how humans are identifiable by fingerprints, manta rays can be identified by their unique ventral spot patterns. The Manta Trust team conducts daily research dives to record photos of different individuals for their growing database which currently includes 138 manta rays as of May 2022.
MANTA RAY
GESTATION RESEARCH
Through a collaboration of Six Senses Laamu, The Manta Trust, IMV Imaging, Vetsonic (UK) ltd and the University of Cambridge Veterinary School, the very first underwater contactless ultrasound scanner was developed. The Manta Trust is extremely excited about the ongoing development of the Worlds’ first non-invasive, portable and dive-proof ultrasound unit. This innovative unit aims to assist monitoring of the internal maturity and reproductive status of manta rays in the wild, without requiring any physical contact.
MANTA RAY
GROWTH RATES
The team is also recording valuable data on the growth rates of the individuals in Laamu using a stereo-video camera system to obtain accurate data on growth and body size. The Manta Trust team at Laamu Atoll have successfully recorded more than 100 measurements of mantas using the stereo video system. This work combined with ultrasound examinations, aims to provide accurate data on manta rays’ size at maturity in both males and females.
REMOTE UNDERWATER
PHOTO AND VIDEO CAMERAS
SCUBA diving offers only short glimpses of manta ray activity at nearby cleaning sites each day, greatly limiting data collection abilities. The deployment of remote underwater cameras has allowed the Manta Trust team to run uninterrupted, long-term monitoring of cleaning stations for the first time. In addition, the team can collect comparative data on manta behavior when divers are present and absent, to assess the impact of tourism practices.
In 2021, the team embarked on a 24/7 surveillance project of one manta ray cleaning station in Laamu, recording data using a long-term remote underwater time-lapse camera called the “Eyes on the Reef”. By taking a photograph of the cleaning station every 60 seconds, from sunrise until sunset, the team will be able to better understand the environmental variables that influence manta habitat use at this site. A Marine Environmental Management MSc student from the University of Exeter is analyzing one full year’s worth of data (approximately 156,472 photos!), of which the published report will be available for reading in September 2022.
MANTA RAYS
AND THE COMMUNITY
FISHER
INTERVIEWS
During 2019, the Manta Trust began conducting fisher interviews with the local community in hopes of learning more about manta sightings and community perceptions of manta rays in Laamu. In 2022, the Manta Trust developed this project further, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, in which another Marine Environmental Management MSc student is visiting every inhabited island of Laamu to interview fishers, boat captains, and seafarers to understand their local ecological knowledge of manta rays. The published report will be available for reading in September 2022…watch this space!
MANTA RAYS
IN VIRTUAL REALITY
During 2019, the Manta Trust began conducting fisherman interviews with the local community in hopes of learning more about manta sightings and community perceptions of manta rays in Laamu. Manta rays are rarely seen surface feeding in this atoll and since the majority of encounters are whilst diving, manta rays are not often seen by members of the community. To allow more people to encounter Laamu’s gentle giants, the MUI team recorded a manta dive in virtual reality. We’ve been sharing this video in the community and with guests and the response has been overwhelmingly positive! We’re looking forward to continuing manta education sessions in the community and will be visiting community members for additional interviews in the upcoming year.
ABOUT
THE MANTA TRUST
Since opening, Six Senses Laamu has contributed to the research efforts of the Manta Trust and their Maldivian Manta Ray Project (MMRP), through external submissions of manta ray ID photos. In 2014, a close partnership formed, and the Manta Trust began a project focused on the manta rays of Laamu Atoll. The Manta Trust‘s Maldivian Manta Ray Project now has a permanent presence at Six Senses Laamu, working through the Maldives Underwater Initiative, to raise awareness surrounding the unique, yet vulnerable marine environment of Laamu Atoll. To better understand the local manta ray population, the team conducts regular research dives at nearby manta aggregation sites and is involved in projects that will contribute towards manta ray conservation in the Maldives and around the world. The Maldivian Manta Ray Project has now identified more than 5,000 reef manta rays in the Maldives with 138 individuals being sighted in Laamu. In Laamu, we have year-round sightings of manta rays at two key aggregation sites, Hithadhoo Corner and Fushi Kandu with peaks in sightings generally occurring during May-June and October-November.
Join “The Cyclone” and become part of a community of supporters investing in the conservation of the ocean’s manta rays, their relatives, and their habitats.
