Movements of the reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) in the Red Sea using satellite and acoustic telemetry

Braun, Camrin D.; Skomal, Gregory B.; Thorrold, Simon R.; Berumen, Michael L.

doi:10.1007/s00227-015-2760-3

Cited by 79 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…However, recent studies have blurred the proposed ecological characteristics that define the movements and habitat selection of the two species (Kashiwagi et al, 2011). For example, while reef manta rays are predominantly resident, they also undertake occasional long-distance movements of several hundred kilometers (Germanov and Marshall, 2014;Jaine et al, 2014;Braun et al, 2015). Further, reef manta rays access both coastal habitats and offshore, pelagic habitats where they are presumably foraging Jaine et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Despite decades of interest from the public and a high value in the recreational dive industry (O'Malley et al, 2013), manta rays have only recently received scientific attention (Couturier et al, 2012). Most ecological studies focus on the smaller, coastally associated reef manta ray (Manta alfredi), and demonstrate patterns of residency with few long-distance movements (Dewar et al, 2008;Deakos et al, 2011;Jaine et al, 2014;Braun et al, 2015). Oceanic manta rays tend to occupy more pelagic, offshore habitats than their coastal sister species (Kashiwagi et al, 2011), and they are presumed to be highly migratory based primarily on the behaviors exhibited by species similar in habitat preference, foraging strategies and size (Skomal et al, 2009;Hueter et al, 2013;Thorrold et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial ecology and conservation of Manta birostris in the Indo-Pacific

Stewart

Beale

Fernando

et al. 2016

Biological Conservation

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Information on the movements and population connectivity of the oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris) is scarce. The species has been anecdotally classified as a highly migratory species based on the pelagic habitats it often occupies, and migratory behavior exhibited by similar species. As a result, in the absence of ecological data, population declines in oceanic manta have been addressed primarily with international-scale management and conservation efforts. Using a combination of satellite telemetry, stable isotope and genetic analyses we demonstrate that, contrary to previous assumptions, the species appears to exhibit restricted movements and finescale population structure. M. birostris tagged at four sites in the Indo-Pacific exhibited no long-range migratory movements and had non-overlapping geographic ranges. Using genetic and isotopic analysis, we demonstrate that the observed movements and population structure persist on multi-year and generational time scales. These data provide the first insights into the long-term movements and population structure of oceanic manta rays, and suggest that bottom-up, local or regional approaches to managing oceanic mantas could prove more effective than existing, international-scale management strategies. This case study highlights the importance of matching the scales at which management and relevant ecological processes occur to facilitate the effective conservation of threatened species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial ecology and conservation of Manta birostris in the Indo-Pacific

Stewart

Beale

Fernando

et al. 2016

Biological Conservation

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“…Researchers have, therefore, relied mostly on PSAT tags that use light-level geolocation in which a threshold algorithm is used to detect solar altitude above the horizon from which estimates of longitude (local noon) and latitude (sunrise/sunset) can be estimated (Hill and Braun, 2001). While sea surface temperature (SST) and bathymetry can improve these estimates (Galuardi et al, 2010;Lam et al, 2010), light-based geolocation requires occupation of the photic zone to record adequate light data for geolocation, and even estimates with quality light data can be error prone (Braun et al, 2015b). However, a number of marine species rarely, if ever, experience enough downwelling light or spend adequate time at the surface to determine their position with PSAT tags (Skomal et al, 2004;Aarestrup et al, 2009;Peklova et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Archival Tag Data and a High-Resolution Oceanographic Model to Estimate Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) Movements in the Western Atlantic

2018

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Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) populations are considered "vulnerable" globally and "endangered" in the northeast Atlantic by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Much of our knowledge of this species comes from surface observations in coastal waters, yet recent evidence suggests the majority of their lives may be spent in the deep ocean. Depth preferences of basking sharks have significantly limited movement studies that used pop-up satellite archival transmitting (PSAT) tags as conventional light-based geolocation is impossible for tagged animals that spend significant time below the photic zone. We tagged 57 basking sharks with PSAT tags in the NW Atlantic from 2004 to 2011. Many individuals spent several months at meso-and bathy-pelagic depths where accurate light-level geolocation was impossible during fall, winter and spring. We applied a newly-developed geolocation approach for the PSAT data by comparing three-dimensional depth-temperature profile data recorded by the tags to modeled in situ oceanographic data from the high-resolution HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Observation-based likelihoods were leveraged within a state-space hidden Markov model (HMM). The combined tracks revealed that basking sharks moved from waters around Cape Cod, MA to as far as the SE coast of Brazil (20 • S), a total distance of over 17,000 km. Moreover, 59% of tagged individuals with sufficient deployment durations (>250 days) demonstrated seasonal fidelity to Cape Cod and the Gulf of Maine, with one individual returning to within 60 km of its tagging location 1 year later. Tagged sharks spent most of their time at epipelagic depths during summer months around Cape Cod and in the Gulf of Maine. During winter months, sharks spent extended periods at depths of at least 600 m while moving south to the Sargasso Sea, the Caribbean Sea, or the western tropical Atlantic. Our work demonstrates the utility of applying advances in oceanographic modeling to understanding habitat use of highly Braun et al. Oceanographic Modeling of Shark Movements migratory, often meso-and bathy-pelagic, ocean megafauna. The large-scale movement patterns of tagged sharks highlight the need for international cooperation when designing and implementing conservation strategies to ensure that the species recovers from the historical effects of over-fishing throughout the North Atlantic Ocean.

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“…Revillagigedo Islands and Baja California in Mexico, and Raja Ampat in Indonesia). Regardless, M. birostris is thought to be a more oceanic and migratory species than M. alfredi as the latter has usually been re-sighted in aggregation sites Braun et al, 2015). Thus, M. alfredi is considered to have a smaller habitat range and to be more resident in tropical waters (Marshall et al, 2009) with seasonal migrations up to 500 km (Couturier et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%