Marine ecologist Anna Knochel (Flag #34) will be collecting data in the Galapagos that combines acoustic tagging, satellite tagging, and isotope analyses to identify movement corridors and seasonal distribution patterns as well as answer questions about the species’ site fidelity to the islands, their large-scale movements, the possible drivers of these movements, and their foraging ecology. This data can be used by managers to assess the risk the Galapagos manta ray population faces from industrial fishing practices that occur outside the bounds of the park. This data also will be key for local stakeholders to develop responsible ecotourism and sustainable management strategies, such as implementing speed restrictions, establishing boating routes that avoid critical habitats, and limiting the number of tourist vessels at each aggregation site.

Oceanic manta rays are long-lived, mature late in life, and produce one pup at a time. These characteristics make them especially vulnerable to both targeted fishing and incidental bycatch. The coast of Ecuador boasts the largest identified population in the world of oceanic manta rays, which can move distances up to 1300km. While oceanic manta rays can exhibit these broad-scale movements, evidence suggests that the coastal population is genetically isolated from the one in the Galapagos. This kind of isolation makes these populations more vulnerable to local threats and extirpation and highlights the urgent need to implement a monitoring program to understand this population’s spatiotemporal distribution, population demographics, and foraging behavior.

Anna spent two years using acoustic and satellite telemetry to study a little-known population of reef manta rays in Sudan and produced the first scientific study of oceanic manta rays in the Red Sea. She is leading an effort to establish the Red Sea Manta Project to continue monitoring manta rays in the seas of the Middle East.