Ocean News

The poet John Wells’ said ‘No man is an island’, and this could not be more true for the conservation world, where partnerships are vital for success, and in particular, long-term, sustainable conservation efforts rely on multi-stakeholder cooperation…

Part 1 I first became hooked on mobulids (manta and devil rays) when I encountered an oceanic manta ray on Christmas Day, 2012, off the coast of Peru. That morning I slipped in unusually clear water close to…

Using satellite tags to improve survival of captured manta and devil rays  When you hear about researchers using satellite tags to study sharks and rays, your mind probably jumps to studies about movements and diving behaviour—where do these…

In previous blogs, we have highlighted the vital role museum and private collections play in our research. As much as Annmarie and I would love to travel the world collecting data and tissue samples from the sawfish saws…

Taking on an ambitious project such as ours, which not only involves carrying out scientific work on a very elusive species, but also engaging with stakeholders and decision-makers is not an easy task -the key of success is…

A big part of my project depends on quantifying abundance and density of my focal species (bonnethead and bull sharks). This requires extensive fishery-independent gillnet and longline surveys in my study system of Apalachicola Bay, Florida. This year,…

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country of rich indigenous traditions and cultural values. Before western settlers arrived at its shores, many regions held intimate spiritual connections with the cycles and aesthetics of the natural world around them.…

One of the largest and most studied lemon shark nurseries exists in Bimini and scientists found that fewer juvenile lemon sharks survived while the heavy dredging activity was going on in the North Sound nursery. Several environmental parameters…

A major problem with monitoring and recording shark and ray species composition data is that in many areas of the world identification guides are almost non-existent or are so outdated that they are of little use to those…

There is a lot of talk in the news lately about the prospect of a local extinction of white sharks in False Bay, brought about by an unprecedented complete absence of sightings from both the Shark Spotters program…

Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) may be the oceanic butterflies of Seychelles, winging their way through these Western Indian Ocean waters and transporting vital nutrients to a remote coral reef, helping to promote coral growth. These results come from the latest study published by Lauren Peel, a Save our Seas…

In light of increased fishing pressure on manta and devil ray populations worldwide, an alternative and more sustainable economic practice is blossoming. Manta ecotourism now generates over USD 140 million annually worldwide, with increasing numbers of tourists wanting…