Marine Megafauna Foundation
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) is a marine biology research and conservation nonprofit known for discovering, researching, and protecting large marine animals including whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and dugongs.
Whale Sharks are the World's Biggest Fish
Giant Manta Ray
 | |
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Andrea Marshall & Simon J Pierce |
| Founded at | Tofo Beach, Mozambique |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization |
| Headquarters | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
| Affiliations | Manta Matcher, Sharkbook (formerly Whaleshark.org), Galapagos Whaleshark Project, Byron Bay Leopard Shark Project, Madagascar Whale Shark Project |
| Website | https://www.marinemegafauna.org/ |
Formerly called | Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre |
MMF has permanent research & conservation sites in Mozambique, Australia, Indonesia, and Florida, as well as other temporary locations.[1][2][3][4][5]
History
MMF was founded in 2009 by marine biologists Andrea Marshall and Simon J Pierce in Tofo Beach, Mozambique.
Discoveries, research, and conservation initiatives
- Developed new techniques to use photo identification and artificial intelligence to study and track populations of whale sharks and other marine animals.[6][7] These are incorporated in Citizen science programs such as Sharkbook[8] and Manta Matcher.[9][10][11]
- Discovered a new type of Manta, the "reef manta ray" (Manta alfredi)[12]
- Led initiatives to add whale sharks,[13] reef manta rays,[14] and oceanic manta rays[15][16] to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Established the Inhambane Province Hope Spot in collaboration with Sylvia Earle's Mission Blue[17][18]
- Documented the first sightings of the ornate eagle ray (Aetomylaeus vespertilio) in the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Inhambane Province, Mozambique[19][20]
- Documented the first recorded sighting of a live Smalleye Stingray underwater in 2009 and then the first successful tag of "the World's biggest ocean stingray"[21] in 2023.
- Completed the first study of South Florida manta ray population Luu,[22] and created what was reported to be the first digital 3D manta ray model with the Digital Life Project and ANGARI Foundation.[22]
- Uncovered illegal Chinese fishing practices after a whale shark named "Hope" with a satellite tag tracked by MMF was killed in Galapagos. This incident resulted in expansion of the Marine Protected Zone around the Galapagos.[23][24][25]
- Created “Ocean Guardians” conservation education project in Mozambique recognized by UNESCO.[26]
External links
- "WATCH: Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island" (video). youtube.com. National Geographic. Jan 24, 2017.
- "WATCH: Andrea Marshall: Queen of the Manta Rays -Nat Geo Live" (video). youtube.com. National Geographic. Jul 15, 2013.
- "WATCH: Andrea - Queen of Mantas - First Ever Encounter with Smalleye Stingray" (video). bbc.co.uk. BBC. 2009.
- "WATCH: Dr. Sylvia Earle Introduces the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot" (video). youtube.com. Sylvia Earle. Jan 26, 2022.
References
- "Manta rays form close friendships, shattering misconceptions". National Geographic. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- Will (2019-11-20). "Marine megafauna accidentally consuming harmful microplastics in Indonesia". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- "Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-08-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- "Manta Rays and Whale Sharks Are Consuming a Staggering Amount of Plastic". Gizmodo. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Marshall, A. D.; Pierce, S. J. (April 2012). "The use and abuse of photographic identification in sharks and rays". Journal of Fish Biology. 80 (5): 1361–1379. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03244.x. PMID 22497388.
- Matthews-King, Alex (23 January 2017). "Whale sharks' secrets revealed by live-tracking aquatic drones". New Scientist. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Klein, JoAnna (2019-10-14). "The Mystery of the Melanistic Manta Rays". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- Venables, Stephanie K.; Marshall, Andrea D.; Germanov, Elitza S.; Perryman, Robert J. Y.; Tapilatu, Ricardo F.; Hendrawan, I Gede; Flam, Anna L.; van Keulen, Mike; Tomkins, Joseph L.; Kennington, W. Jason (2019-10-09). "It's not all black and white: investigating colour polymorphism in manta rays across Indo-Pacific populations". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1912): 20191879. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1879. PMC 6790782. PMID 31594509.
- "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- Marshall, Andrea D.; Compagno, Leonard J. V.; Bennett, Michael B. (2009-12-31). "Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae)". Zootaxa. 2301: 1–28. doi:10.5281/zenodo.191734.
- Pierce, S.J. & Norman, B. 2016. Rhincodon typus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19488A2365291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T19488A2365291.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
- Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C.L., Romanov, E. & Sherley, R.B. 2022. Mobula alfredi (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T195459A214395983. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T195459A214395983.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
- Will (2020-12-10). "Giant manta becomes first manta ray to be listed as an endangered species". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Derrick, D., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Rigby, C.L. & Romanov, E. 2022. Mobula birostris (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T198921A214397182. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T198921A214397182.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
- "Inhambane Seascape in Mozambique Recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spot".
- "WATCH: Dr. Sylvia Earle Introduces the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot" (video). youtube.com. Sylvia Earle. Jan 26, 2022.
- "Researchers Document the Rare Ornate Eagle Ray". Marine Megafauna Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Venables, Stephanie K.; Conradie, Janneman; Marshall, Andrea D. (November 2021). "First records of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio from the Inhambane Province, Mozambique". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 101 (7): 1085–1088. doi:10.1017/S0025315422000054. ISSN 0025-3154. S2CID 247379157.
- "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Steinhoff, Nane (2022-04-06). "First digital 3D model of a manta ray created". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- "Galapagos marine reserve: Conservationists hail expansion". BBC News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- Myers, Steven Lee; Chang, Agnes; Watkins, Derek; Fu, Claire (2022-09-26). "How China Targets the Global Fish Supply". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- Collyns, Dan (2020-08-06). "'They just pull up everything!' Chinese fleet raises fears for Galápagos sea life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- "Ocean Guardians". Unesco Green Citizens. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
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