Annual report 2023
Our 2023 annual report to read on this page, section by section, beside the report's own pages. Every figure is here; the PDF has the full layout.
About the report
- Covers
- 2023
- Published
- 2024, by the Marine Megafauna Foundation
- Length
- 29 pages
- Format
- PDF, 9.3 MB
2023 in figures
Four
New IUCN Important Shark & Ray Areas. MMF has been instrumental in the designation of the Greater Bazaruto area, Pomene, Southern Inhambane Province (Tofo and Zavora), and a substantial southern Mozambique movement corridor as globally-important shark and ray habitats
582
Megafauna surveys
3,764
Mini marine conservationists graduated from MMF’s ocean awareness curriculum between 2012–24
525
Whale sharks identified from 2015 to 2023 near Nosy Be in NW Madagascar
3,180
Manta rays now identified throughout Indonesia
1M+
Reached via our website & social media
Our three priority regions
Pages 4 to 5 of the report
- Americas
- Western Indian Ocean
- Asia Pacific
- Florida, MMF HQ
- Socorro
- Yucatán
- Galápagos Islands
- Mafia Island
- Nosy Be
- Inhambane Seascape
- Tofo, Regional HQ
- Andaman Sea
- Sangalaki
- Nusa Lembongan, Regional HQ
- Komodo
- Great Barrier Reef
MMF was founded in 2009 by renowned marine scientists Dr. Andrea Marshall and Dr. Simon Pierce to further their mission to save the world’s ocean giants from extinction. Since then, many others have joined the team. The organization has expanded to worldwide research, education, and outreach on marine megafauna conservation.
Our team has conducted pioneering research on sharks and rays, particularly manta rays and whale sharks, which has helped these species move towards global protection. These iconic animals are also excellent flagships for the marine environment.
Our work has broad benefits for the other lesser-known endangered species that share their habitats and the creation and management of protected areas to ensure their survival.
We focus on strategic locations with large or otherwise important populations (such as key feeding breeding areas) of threatened marine species. MMF works to develop effective conservation solutions that minimize human threats to marine life, while working with communities to create sustainable livelihoods so they benefit from a healthy marine environment. We also emphasize the development of national science capacity in the developing world to ensure long-lasting monitoring and management.
Mozambique conservation
Pages 6 to 11 of the report
MMF trains community leaders in Mozambique to promote education and awareness of marine conservation solutions. Caption on page 11.
- FourNew IUCN Important Shark & Ray Areas. MMF has been instrumental in the designation of the Greater Bazaruto area, Pomene, Southern Inhambane Province (Tofo and Zavora), and a substantial southern Mozambique movement corridor as globally-important shark and ray habitats
Ocean Ambassadors
MMF trains community leaders who advocate for education and awareness of marine conservation solutions within their community. This year, the OA’s reached 3,440 individuals: 866 children, 1,689 women, and 885 men
New fishing closure
Tofo Fisheries Council established a temporary fishing closure of 3 months
- 10Village savings loan groups. There are now 207 active members, with women comprising 63% and men 37%
Conservation management
85 local leaders, fishers and community members participated in a workshop to discuss “catch monitoring and sustainable fisheries in Inhambane province”
Mozambique research
Pages 12 to 17 of the report
Expanding local capacity
One new Mozambican diver trained for megafauna scientific surveys, and another qualified for whale shark surveys
- 582Megafauna surveys
- 18Tissue samples collected from 5 shark and ray species for genetic and feeding ecology studies
Tracking movements
18 satellite tags deployed: 1 smalleye stingray, 3 giant manta rays, 2 bottlenose wedgefish, 3 black marlin, and 11 reef manta rays (4 in Mozambique, 7 in South Africa)
Reef monitoring
Remote Underwater Video surveys were deployed in 5 locations
We expanded the Mozambique tracking network
- Bazaruto Seascape
- Vilankulo
- Pomene
- Morrumbene
- Tofo
- Zavora
- 15New acoustic receivers deployed, bringing the collaborative array to 38 receivers in the Inhambane Province
New acoustic tags in 2023
- 3Smalleye stingrays
- 1Giant manta ray
- 12Reef manta rays
- 4Zebra sharks
- 2Ornate eagle rays
- 5Bottlenose wedgefish
Mozambique education
Pages 18 to 23 of the report
- 12Schools in coastal Mozambique have been taught the wonders of their local marine habitats, and the importance of ocean conservation
- 3,764Mini marine conservationists graduated from MMF’s ocean awareness curriculum between 2012–24
- 193Ecotourism graduates from MMF’s Coral Reef Club Vocational Program from 2012–24
- 1,505New swimmers trained by MMF’s team to swim safely and confidently from 2012–24
My child joined this program in 2016. In class, the children learn a lot about the marine ecosystem, anatomy of species, and how to protect those animals and our ocean. The swimming lessons are fun; our children learn to swim, and to be more careful when they go to the sea. Now, I feel safe, as a parent, when our children go to the pool, the river, lake, or in the sea, because I know that they will be able to take care of themselves and stay safe: they know how to swim very well. I want to thank MMF for the existence of the program in our community. I would like this program to continue to exist, and to reach more communities, so that other children benefit.
Madagascar highlights
Pages 24 to 27 of the report
In partnership with the Madagascar Whale Shark Project
Code of conduct
Law has been adopted, obliging tourism operators to follow international best practice
- 525Whale sharks identified from 2015 to 2023 near Nosy Be in NW Madagascar
Tourism training
114 local skippers and guides trained on our Code of Conduct, and established a whale shark tourism management committee
- 50Biopsies collected and sent to CSIRO for analysis
Masters student
Studying whale shark prey
Tracking movements
13 whale sharks acoustically-tagged, and 1 satellite tag deployed off Nosy Be
- Nosy Be
- Madagascar
Tanzania highlights
Pages 28 to 31 of the report
No place like home
Four whale sharks have been seasonally visiting Mafia Island for at least 15 years
- 69Tissue samples collected for genetics, feeding ecology and pollution studies
Tracking movements
9 satellite tags deployed to track whale shark movements, in collaboration with the Reef Ecology Lab at KAUST
- 27New sharks identified in 2023 at Mafia Island, which is home to a small, highly resident population of 250+ whale sharks
Indonesia highlights
Pages 32 to 37 of the report
Aulia Zeintrinanda, MMF turtle project leader, graduated from the University of Queensland in December 2023 with a masters in conservation biology Caption on page 34.
- 90Dive surveys for manta rays and marine turtles
- 3,180Manta rays now identified throughout Indonesia
- 21Mantas stereo-measured
Outreach
Presented to government agency for marine resources, plus 570+ people reached through our local school visits and industry workshops
New masters student
Project leader, Janis Argeswara, is currently a Fulbright Scholar at Florida International University
New Indonesian researchers
Four students are being trained in research techniques from the Bina Nusantara, Diponegoro, and Bandung IT Universities
Florida highlights
Pages 38 to 41 of the report
- 30Aerial surveys looking for manta rays along the Florida coastline, and 500+ drone flights to locate mantas and observe behaviors
- 215Plankton samples analyzed to show us what mantas are consuming when feeding
Outreach
2,500 children reached through our education curriculum
- 70Boat surveys for manta rays around the Florida coastline
- 12Tagged manta rays with acoustic and satellite tags, including two tagged at the mouth of the Mississippi River
- 210Manta rays now identified by the MMF Florida team
Great Barrier Reef highlights
Pages 42 to 43 of the report
In partnership with Biopixel Oceans Foundation
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
- 2Seasons of collaborative research in far north QLD with Biopixel Oceans Foundation
- 32Whale sharks identified from the Wreck Bay area
- 15Sharks tracked with satellite tags
- 20+Aerial surveys by plane and helicopter to help locate whale sharks, with 100+ drone flights
Research output
Pages 46 to 47 of the report
2023 scientific papers
Our scientific work focuses on the world’s most endangered ocean species, and how we can protect them and their habitats.
- Persistent transboundary movements of threatened sharks highlight the importance of cooperative management for effective conservation. Daly R, Venables SK, Rogers TD, et al. Marine Ecology Progress Series. doi.org/10.3354/meps14413
- Annual recurrence of the critically endangered bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) in Djibouti waters. Boldrocchi G, Robinson D, Caprodossi S, Mancuso E, Omar M, Schmidt JV. Biology.
- Movement and vertical habitat use of yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares in a vertically compressed habitat: the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Rohner CA, Garabato ACN, Hearn AR. Journal of Fish Biology. doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15525
- Emergent community architecture despite distinct diversity in the global whale shark (Rhincodon typus) epidermal microbiome. Doane MP, Reed MB, McKerral J, et al. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39184-5
- Widespread diversity deficits of coral reef sharks and rays. Simpfendorfer CA, Heithaus MR, Heupel MR, et al. Science. doi.org/10.1126/science.ade4884
- Multiple datasets confirm range extension of the sicklefin devil ray Mobula tarapacana in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the eastern USA. Pate JH, Wilmott JR, Jones C, Horn C, and Farmer NA. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. doi.org/10.1017/s002531542300022x
- Underwater ultrasonography and blood sampling provide the first observations of reproductive biology in free-swimming whale sharks. Matsumoto R, Murakumo K, Nozu R, et al. Endangered Species Research. doi.org/10.3354/esr01226
- Interactions between marine megafauna and plastic pollution in Southeast Asia. Omeyer LCM, Duncan EM, Abreo NAS, et al. Science of the Total Environment. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162502
- Plastic pollution and marine megafauna: recent advances and future directions. Nelms SE, Clark BL, Duncan EM, et al. In: Plastic Pollution in the Global Ocean. doi.org/10.1142/9789811259111_0005
- Southward range extension and transboundary movements of reef manta rays Mobula alfredi along the east African coastline. Marshall AD, Flam AL, Cullain N, Carpenter M, Conradie J, Venables SK. Journal of Fish Biology. doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15290
Highlighting outreach
Pages 48 to 51 of the report
CNN
Our Mozambique teams filmed for Inside Africa who featured MMF to a global audience through August
Flight of the Mantas
Our Virtual Reality experience is currently being played in 54 zoo and aquaria over 7 continents. Since it’s April release, over 130,000 people have experienced the content
Ocean Giants magazine
Our third year of distributing our quarterly magazine to help showcase marine research, conservation, and education to over 9,000 subscribers.
- 1M+Reached via our website & social media
- 3,500+Mini marine conservationists inspired through our global education programs
Grew our social media
- 30,100+Facebook
- 25,600+Instagram
Global media features
- National Geographic
- Forbes
- DiverNet
- CNN
- Dive Magazine
- Mongabay
- BBC
Financial summary 2023
Pages 52 to 53 of the report
| Amount | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional grants | $226,300 | 21% |
| Corporate donations | $163,800 | 16% |
| Grants from governmental bodies | $162,500 | 15% |
| Private contributions | $510,700 | 48% |
| Total | $1,063,300 |
| Amount | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Governance, management and overheads | $295,700 | 28% |
| Fundraising and communications | $8,100 | 1% |
| Research, education and conservation activities | $734,200 | 71% |
| Total | $1,038,000 |
Special thanks to our major project funders
Pages 54 to 55 of the report
Your help and support enables us to protect the world’s most endangered ocean wildlife, train the next generation of conservationists, and conserve marine ecosystems. These discoveries and successes would not be possible without you. Thank you, so much.
Dr. Simon Pierce and Dr. Andrea Marshall
- A Stuart Holdings
- Aqua-Firma
- Better Giving
- Blue Action Fund
- Big Fish Diving
- Casa JVC
- David & Carol Myers Foundation
- Disney Conservation Fund
- Elasmocean
- Fondation Ensemble
- Fortuna Foundation
- Foundation Segre
- Georgia Aquarium
- Government of Ireland (International Development Program)
- Help For Mozambique
- Kansas City Zoo
- Mantahari Oceancare
- Milkywire
- Mission blue
- MMF Canada
- Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
- Morin Resort
- NACORA
- Ocean Mata
- Ocean Wildlife Project
- Our Children’s Earth Foundation
- Peri-Peri Divers
- Potenza Family Charitable Fund
- Pure Ocean Fund
- Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
- Queensland Government
- Ray of Hope Expeditions
- ScubaPro
- Shark Conservation Fund
- Shark Foundation
- Stichting Kalverboer Silsby Foundation
- Sundive Byron Bay
- Thanda Island (Thanda Tanzania Ltd)
- The Irish Embassy
- The Rufford Foundation
- Turing Foundation
- Ultralight Control Systems
- Waterlust
- Windrush Trust
- WWF Tanzania
- Zoomarine
The report also thanks individual supporters by name; that list is in the PDF.
Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change
Pages 58 to 59 of the report
We promote marine megafauna species as conservation flagships to preserve and rebuild healthy marine ecosystems
About this report
Page 2 of the report
© Marine Megafauna Foundation, 2024
This report, along with other information about MMF, is available online at www.marinemegafauna.org
Marine Megafauna Foundation, 7750 Okeechobee Blvd, Ste 4-3038, West Palm Beach, FL 33411
Centro de Investigação Científica Megafauna Marinha, Associação Megafauna Marinha, Praia do Tofo, Inhambane, Mozambique
MMF is a tax-exempt non-profit charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the US tax code (Tax ID #46-0645082).
All contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with US tax law.
The Associação Megafauna Marinha is also a registered not-for-profit association in Mozambique.
Graphic Design: Madeleine Pierce
