Understanding why marine animals are using some places and not others is crucial to minimizing our impact on them. Recently, Nortek’s new Eco acoustic doppler current profiler has been helping one marine biologist, with no previous experience in using oceanographic instruments, characterize current flows in one of the manta ray‘s more unusual shallow-water coastal habitats with simplicity and ease.
Powerful yet graceful, manta rays top almost everyone’s list of must-see marine animals. While people flock to places like Indonesia or the Maldives to watch these gentle giants, one location has gone relatively unnoticed – South Florida. “I lived in Florida working as a sea turtle biologist, and a lot of data collection involved being on the beach all day,” recounts Jessica Pate, a marine biologist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation. “Sometimes I would notice these big, black shapes swimming right next to shore in less than a meter of water.” Surprised to see manta rays, Pate searched for more information but found very little. “I know hundreds of people researching sea turtles, and I couldn’t believe that no one was studying manta rays [in South Florida],” she says.
Pate has been working hard to rectify the lack of information on South Florida’s manta rays, and recently published a major study that revealed some key insights about the mantas that frequent South Florida – they are primarily juveniles. With Florida’s coast so highly developed, it is a surprising location for a nursery area. What’s more, these particular “urban manta rays” are also singling out some particularly hazardous locations…
Read the rest of the story at Nortek.
In this month’s Ocean Brief, we take a look at reducing whale shark injuries, changes to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and Antarctica’s once-hidden canyons.
Tiny Ocean Opportunities is a free version of Ocean Opportunities, a listing of 600+ marine STEM-related jobs, Post-Docs, PhDs, Masters, conferences, workshops, courses, webinars, internships, fundings, and other types of opportunities.
According to the 2021 BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report, women comprised just 1.2% of the global seafaring workforce, and the concerns of many over safety are unfortunately all too real.
Looking for a marine podcast? From marine life to ocean tech to maritime matters to diving and swimming, this list of podcasts will take you into the ocean.
Whether you’re looking to dive into the ocean, keep your feet firmly on terra firma, or stay in your chair, there’s a community science (aka citizen science) project for you.
David L. Mearns OBE, OAM, Director at Blue Water Recoveries Limited, discusses his career as a shipwreck expert and being honoured by Prince William.
They may be small and often overlooked, but seagrasses play a role in keeping our oceans healthy. Seagrass meadows create vital habitats for marine life, capture and store carbon, and help stabilise coastlines. Yet, seagrass meadows are disappearing at an alarming rate due to coastal development, pollution, and climate change. Italy hopes to reverse that trend with the ambitious Marine Ecosystem Restoration Project.
For Early Career Ocean Professionals, training opportunities are crucial for career development. Peter Keen, Director of Keen Marine Ltd, and Luis Menezes Pinheiro, Professor of Marine Geophysics at the University of Aveiro, discuss how the All-Atlantic Floating University Network (@SeaNetwork) is supporting training at sea throughout the Atlantic Ocean.
The IMarEST Marine Mammals Special Interest Group (MMSIG) and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) have created a new partnership that will help guide innovation in marine mammal monitoring