Behavioral and Spatial Ecology of the Endangered Giant Manta Ray (Manta birostris)

The purpose of this study was to understand how movements and site fidelity of endangered oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) affect the risk of interacting with marine mineral extraction or associated mitigation activities, such as preventative trawling, and inform BOEM’s future mitigation policies. The initial study objective was to track animals in the field using a combination of aerial surveys, satellite telemetry, acoustic telemetry, and inertial measurement unit (IMU) payloads to obtain fine-scale habitat use and behavior data. The study faced a variety of obstacles and resulted in a modified objective to design an open-source IMU tag that can be attached to the dorsal surface via active suction created with compressed air. Tags were tested in-house at Georgia Aquarium on an oceanic manta in human care, which allowed for iterations to refine the design and attachment method

USD: $421,490

2020-08-22 → 2023-09-01