Monthly Update for June
Hello!
It's a bumper round of updates this month – there's a lot going on!
It was World Ocean Day on the 8th, which is always a fantastic excuse to make a song and dance about marine life. We're extremely lucky to be able to combine work that we love, while making a positive difference to incredible ocean animals, amazing habitats, and the communities that rely on healthy oceans… which is, of course, all of us.
I thought this photo of MMF PhD Candidate Nakia Cullain, and her caption, articulated that vibe nicely:
"Won’t ever stop cheesin’ being in my happy place. So thankful for everyone (and every manta) the ocean has brought into my life, the special moments it has given me, and the fire it will always light inside me."
There's a Māori concept that's always resonated with me: Tūpuna Pono – Being Good Ancestors. Few of us have the opportunity to work full-time in conservation, but everyone can contribute in their own way. As a team, we can make the world a better place to live – for us, for the other species we're hurtling through space with on this special little planet, and for the generations to come. Thanks to all of you for your support and partnership as we work toward this vision.
Speaking of vision, Janis Argeswara and her team in Indonesia have produced a great summary report on their 2023 work in the country. Also, if you haven't seen it already, do check out MMF's beautiful 2023 Annual Report as well (thanks Madeleine Pierce!).
I've got some administrative news to announce too. I want to extend a huge welcome to Mark Hackney as the new Chair of the global MMF Board. Many of you will have already met Mark in Hawaii, Mozambique, or during MMF Expeditions around the world. We're rapt to be able to learn from his global experience in leadership. Thanks a million to our outgoing Chair Josh Axford, who's staying on the Board, but will now have a bit more time for his three young kiddies! As Andrea, my co-founder at MMF, is on long-term medical leave, I've taken on the position of Executive Director at MMF. I'm very privileged to be able to support such an inspiring and passionate team.
Enjoy the updates! As ever, if you've got any questions, or want to find out how you can support any or all this amazing work, just hit reply :)
Simon J Pierce, PhD
MMF Co-founder, Executive Director
MMF Mozambique
Dugong Festival for World Ocean Day
In Inhassoro, MMF held our annual Dugong Festival on World Ocean Day. Project Lead, Olivia Emsley, reported: "Our dugong festival was great fun, including 'pin the tail on the dugong' game, VR, men’s and women’s races, showcasing our community documentary, face painting, presentations, quizzes… We were so pleased with the huge turn out, amazing to have so many people engaging in marine conservation." Around 400 people attended the Festival, supporting dugong conservation at the species' largest African hotspot.
Nilza is a Young African Leader (Officially!)
Congratulations to MMF Research Manager, Nilza de Caterina, who is travelling to the US as a Mandela Washington Fellow. The Fellowship is the founding flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative. Here's what she'll be learning: "The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries. Each year, Fellows participate in six-week leadership institutes, studying business, civic engagement, or public management at U.S. colleges or universities. During their time on campus, Fellows connect with Americans and local U.S. communities through community service and other cultural experiences.”
Visiting The Sanctuary
We were able to catch up with the amazing conservation work going on in The Sanctuary, on the San Sebastian Peninsula. The Managers, Dave and Taryn Gilroy (left and right, above) and MMF Junior Conservation Project Manager Joaquim dos Santos (centre) showed us the great progress being made on a Shark Conservation Fund-supported project to conserve critically endangered wedgefish and other species that rely on these waters. SCF has funded a new patrol boat and marine rangers to protect the area, and new accommodations for them and an on-site MMF conservation team are being built within The Sanctuary. It's also an absolutely stunning place!
Building Research Skills
Conservation Project Manager Abdul Mugabe, along with MMF Research Fellows Dércio Maoze and Simão Sande (above) attended a course in Data Analysis for Coastal Management at the Centro de Estudos Africanos at Universidade Mondlane in Maputo. They all completed small research projects to cement knowledge gained through the course. Simão took the opportunity to apply his skills to MMF's real-world data on endangered leopard (zebra) sharks in Inhambane province, using spatial temperature and salinity data from shark sightings to model potential reproductive habitats.
700 Mantas in Zavora
The manta above is Kaipo, the 700th manta ray to be identified in Zavora, Mozambique, since 2009. The Marine Action Research (MAR Expeditions) team, led by MMF Research Scientist Nakia Cullain, are having a great season so far, and looking forward to meeting plenty of new mantas through 2024!
MMF Florida
Jessica is a Conservation Hero!
Scuba Diver magazine named Jessica Pate, founder of the Florida Manta Project and MMF's US Country Manager, as a Sea Hero for her work uncovering the mysteries of Atlantic manta rays. As the magazine notes, “Pate and her team have photo-IDed more than 230 mantas, conducted aerial surveys, deployed acoustic tags and spent more than 400 hours on the water studying this population in 2023 alone.” See our press release here.
Guitarfish Surveys
The team conducted several surveys for Atlantic guitarfish, encountering 36 individuals of this threatened species. To delve deeper into their habitat use, internal acoustic tags were deployed in three individuals. Excitingly, courtship behaviors were also observed, and two of the females they encountered were pregnant.
New Palm Beach Education Program
Through a grant from the Palm Beach International Boat Club, the team are educating Title 1 school students (kindergarten to 2nd grade) in Palm Beach County.
This interactive program includes presentations, gifting the book "A Manta Ray's Journey" written by Jessica Pate and Allie Brown, and take-home assignments to spark family discussions about manta ray conservation. 700+ kids have already participated!
South Florida Aerial Surveys
This season's aerial surveys along the South Florida coast have started off with a bang – on one survey this week, the team saw 376 turtles! Not to be left out, they've also seen manta rays, manatees, hammerhead sharks, lemon and nurse sharks, eagle rays, and many other species in spectacular conditions.
MMF Indonesia
Sea Turtle Research Update
Aulia Zeintrinanda, MMF's sea turtle project leader in Indonesia, has done some initial data compilation on the turtle population around Nusa Penida. 20 individuals of the endangered green turtle have been identified so far, from 126 encounters, mostly at the famed Crystal Bay dive site. Hawksbill turtles, which are critically endangered, are mostly found on the north coast of Penida. 186 individuals have been identified from 529 encounters. Most of the measured green turtles have been juveniles, but the hawksbills are predominantly adults.
Megafauna Monitoring
The team completed 26 dives through May, identifying 44 reef manta rays and 9 sea turtles (greens and hawksbills). There have been lots of pregnant manta rays about, so that bodes very well for Janis's ongoing reproductive research project :)
Coral Catch
Aulia and MMF Research Assistant Nathania Harywanto (on screen) are both alumni of Coral Catch, a program that trains and empowers Indonesian girls, particularly in coral restoration efforts. Nathania gave an educational talk on manta ray biology and conservation to the current Coral Catch intake, the biologists of the (near) future!
Expanding Outreach to Engage with Chinese Ocean Enthusiasts
Aulia was also thrilled to attend her first-ever conference, the 4th Indonesia Sharks and Rays Symposium, to present on reef manta reproduction research at Nusa Penida. From Aulia: “There were so many innovative inventions and research presentations, both oral and poster, addressing issues related to sharks and rays. This symposium really opened my eyes to the biodiversity of sharks and rays we have in Indonesian waters!”
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world…
Global Shipping & Whale Sharks
New research published in Science of the Total Environment has revealed areas where whale sharks are at high risk of colliding with large shipping vessels. Over 75 whale shark experts identified 107 core habitats for the species in 26 countries around the world, and integrated these data with density maps on shipping traffic to identify key sites for conservation. Read the press release.
New ISRAs in Myanmar & Thailand
Through long-term data collection and analysis in Myanmar and Thailand, MMF contributed to proposals for establishing seven new IUCN Important Shark & Ray Areas (ISRAs). By combining citizen science observations from scuba divers with data gathered during MMF research expeditions in Myanmar, we were able to identify key areas for endangered species including giant mantas, whale sharks, and leopard (zebra) sharks. Read more here.
Grey Nurse Shark Surveys
Simon has been leading photo-ID surveys for critically endangered grey nurse sharks (known as sandtigers in the USA) at Wolf Rock in Australia, in collaboration with the University of the Sunshine Coast. They've already detected long-term resightings, including one from 20 years ago!
Ali's Amazing Journey
It looks like the tag on Ali, a 6 m whale shark tagged on the far north Great Barrier Reef, has finally stopped reporting to satellite. Ali was tagged on a Biopixel Ocean Foundation trip to Wreck Bay, near the tip of Queensland in Australia, in late 2021. Since then, she's swum over 8,000 miles, making return visits to the Papua New Guinea coast and Wreck Bay in 2022 and 2023. Thanks Ali, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Dot the Leopard Shark
Dr David Robinson, MMF Research Associate and owner of Sundive Byron Bay (Australia), is very happy to report that Dot, the famous and excessively friendly leopard (zebra) shark pictured above, returned once again to Byron Bay towards the end of the summer season. David and his team have now identified well over 400 endangered leopard sharks from Byron Bay, a global hotspot for the species.
Join MMF in Mexico next month!
Hopefully a few of you are diving with Senior Scientist Clare Prebble in the Galapagos this month – and there are 2 spaces available from July 21–27th to join her in Cancun, Mexico, for a whale shark research and photography trip. This expedition, run by our regular travel partner Aqua-Firma, is a collaboration with Rafael de la Parra, a pioneer of whale shark research in the Atlantic. The area north of Cancun hosts one of the world's largest whale shark aggregations, with hundreds of individuals sometimes present – you'll have to see it to believe it!
We can't do all this alone.
Can you join MMF as monthly supporter?
Your support is crucial in fueling these vital efforts. By joining us, you become a champion for our ocean planet. Your membership directly contributes to:
Cutting-edge research on endangered marine wildlife
Empowering local communities through sustainable livelihoods
Educating the next generation about ocean conservation
Together, we can create a healthier, more vibrant ocean for all.
Thanks again for your support!
Dr Simon Pierce
Co-founder, Marine Megafauna Foundation
