Project Manta - The manta rays of Australia

16/06/2026

HELP NEEDED 📣📣📣

We have a satellite tag that has washed up on the eastern beach of - see coordinates on the maps! This tag has been attached to a Leopard Shark for the past 6 months so has an incredible amount of archival data stored in it that we would love to retrieve!

Please share with your networks and help us get the word out there!!! 🙏🙏🙏

07/06/2026

This we are incredibly excited to share the launch of our new partner charity: Manta Foundation!!! 🩵✨🌏

This is the first dedicated manta ray charity in Australia, and will enable projects like ours to really make waves in conservation, research, and advocacy!

Head over to their website to learn more about the work they do and how you can get involved - you’ll see a few familiar faces are driving this new initiative 😉

www.mantafoundation.org.au

04/06/2026

New Science alert 📣📣📣

Incredible work by and PhD student Hannah Moloney! 👏👏👏

This study was a mammoth undertaking and demonstrates how valuable manta rays are to tourism and the economy 🤿💸🩵

Click below to find out more 👇

📣 New Science Alert!

💲 Manta ray tourism in the Maldives generates one of the highest recorded economic values for marine megafauna systems, contributing an estimated US$311 million in direct economic benefits in 2021.

🤿 This value incorporates revenue from dive operators, tourist expenditure on accommodation and services, government taxation, staff wages, and protected area fees, highlighting the extent to which wildlife tourism is embedded within the national economy.

🌊 The study is underpinned by the ecological importance of reef and oceanic manta rays, which form predictable seasonal aggregations across the archipelago and support large-scale snorkelling and diving tourism.

🚨 However, this economic dependence also creates vulnerability. Increasing tourism pressure, alongside climate change and habitat degradation, may impact the very populations on which the industry relies.

🤝 Manta rays in the Maldives therefore represent both a key ecological resource and a significant economic asset, directly linking biodiversity conservation with national economic resilience.

🔗 Visit our Research Portal to explore the full publication: https://research.mantatrust.org/moloney-et-al-2026-1

📃 Read our press release here: https://www.mantatrust.org/maldives-manta-value

Infographic by: Jasmine Corbett
Illustrations by: Rebecca Carter and Marc Dando

09/05/2026

And that’s a wrap! 🦈🇱🇰🦈
What an incredible week talking all things shark (and ray!) science at .international in Colombo!
We shared research through both oral and poster presentations, formed new collaborations, and reunited with old friends! 🎤🤝🎓🫶
Massive congrats to the organisers from who put on an incredible conference! Now it’s time for a rest, and we will be excited to do it all again in 4 years time in 🙌🩵🦈

15/04/2026

April is Global Citizen Science Month 🌱📝💙📸🌏

To celebrate, you can tune into a recent episode from the Citizen Science Show that features 🦈

Learn all about the role plays in our research, and how you can get involved!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4W2iRSVgVpI2cAPtzJqrkF?si=3exU0NTbQd-cAk0kwXhJGw

12/04/2026

is very excited to be presenting at Sharks International 2026 in Sri Lanka next month! 🦈🦈🦈

This conference is only held every 4 years, and brings shark, ray, and chimaera researchers together from all around the world! 🌏

is presenting multiple times - with talks on satellite tracking of manta rays and manta ray reproduction, as well as a poster celebrating the accomplishments from our long-term program (thank YOU all for your contributions!)

Stay tuned to hear more from the conference!

08/04/2026

Meet “Taylah” 🦈✨💦 A beautiful female manta ray that was first sighted in June 2025 at

Taylah is named in honour of the one and only from - a complete QUEEN of the ocean, an amazing supporter of AND an incredible asset for the dive industry!

While, the manta season may be starting to wind down at the southern aggregation sites, there are still a few around, so make sure to submit your belly shots for identification! 🫶🏼📸🙌🏼

16/03/2026

is excited to share that "A Field Guide to the Vertebrates of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef" is now available via pre-order! 📚💙🎓

This book is the culmination of over six years of dedicated research from the research team, in collaboration with Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, with contributions from resort staff and citizen scientists. The result is 800 documented species, new records for Australian waters, documented range extensions, and even species new to science!

Click on the link to pre-order a copy
https://www.clark-mackay.com.au/product/a-field-guide-to-the-vertebrates-of-lady-elliot-island-great-barrier-reef/

Leaf to Reef: Biodiversity of Lady Elliot Island will share details for the official book launch to be held in May, but this is your opportunity to get a copy ahead of the crowds 🤫

08/03/2026

A very happy International Women's Day from ! We are proud to have many dedicated, passionate, and capable women involved in our research and outreach work, including young women completing their studies and part of the next generation of marine scientists!