Manta and mobula rays are highly intelligent and social animals that have a broad appeal to divers and snorkelers. Providing encounters with these graceful animals offers a potentially lucrative and sustainable alternative to harvest in many areas. As a result, tourism has developed around seasonal manta and mobula ray aggregations in many parts of the world1.
A survey of dive operators in manta ray range states reveals that manta rays are frequently the #1 attraction to divers and are consistently ranked in the top three of marine life that divers most often ask to see. These operations bring millions of dollars in tourism revenue annually to their local communities.
In Western Australia’s shallow Bateman Bay on Ningaloo Reef, visitors come on snorkeling tours more eager to see manta rays than whale sharks2. Surveys conducted in the Maldives indicated that tourists are willing to pay the highest surcharge to see manta rays, even more than for turtles or sharks3. In Mozambique, diving, particularly to see whale sharks and rays, motivated 74% of tourists to visit the country4.
The ‘Million Dollar Manta’ In Yap, where dive tourism is based almost exclusively on manta ray encounters, the annual value of manta ray dives is estimated to be US$4 million. With an estimated local population of 100 manta rays, each living an estimated 40+ years5, each of these manta rays is worth as much as US$ 1 million over its lifetime! A dead manta ray in a fish market, on the other hand, brings a one-time income of US$40–$500 depending on the manta’s size.
Based on data from only seven locations, the value of manta ray dive tourism is estimated at over US$27 million per year. These figures do not account for revenue generated in many popular diving locations in Mozambique, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, Japan, Solomon Islands, Azores, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand. Global manta tourism may exceed US$50 million in direct dive-operation revenues annually, and with associated expenditures it may contribute as much as US$100 million. Additional opportunities exist globally for new tourism operations.
Manta ray tourism can provide ongoing sustainable income to communities for generations to come, while the gill raker trade represents short-term profits for a handful of foreign traders. Some poor fishing communities in India, the Philippines and Indonesia have shifted from hunting whale sharks to developing successful eco-tourism industries, changes that have revitalized these communities while also protecting these iconic animals. T he same opportunities exist for community-based tourism development centered on manta and mobula rays. Like whale sharks, manta and mobula rays offer significant tourism appeal, and present potentially large and sustainable financial benefits to coastal communities … if kept alive.
TABLE 5. INDUSTRY VALUES OF MANTA SPECIFIC ENCOUNTERS
|
LOCATION |
SPECIES |
ANNUAL REVENUE |
|
Kona, Hawaii |
Manta Sp.a |
US$ 3.4 million6 |
|
Ningaloo, Australia |
M. alfredi |
US$ 1.8 million7 |
|
Nusa Penida, Indonesia |
M. alfredi |
US$ 3.5 million8 |
|
Palau |
M. alfredi |
US$ 2.25 million9 |
|
Republic of Maldives |
Manta Sp.a |
US$ 8.1 million10 |
|
Socorro, Mexico |
M. birostris |
US$ 5 million11 |
|
Yap |
M. alfredi |
US$ 4 million12 |
1 - Anderson et al. 2010.
2 - Daw and McGregor 2008.
3 - Waheed 1998.
4 - Tibirica et al. 2009.
5 - Marshall et al. 2011c
6 - Marshall et al. 2009, Notarbartolo DiSciara 1987.
7 - Compagno and Last 1999, Deakos 2010a
8 - Maigret and Ly 1986, Notarbartolo di Sciara and Hillyer 1989, Compagno and Last 1999
9 - Marshall et al. 2009
10 - Kashiwagi et al. 2011
11 - Marshall et al. 2009
12 - Marshall et al. 2009, Compagno 1999
Anderson, R.C., Adam, M.S., Kitchen-Wheeler, A., and Stevens, G. 2010. Extent and economic value of manta ray watching in Maldives. Tourism in Marine Environments, 7 (1): 15-27.
Compagno, L.J.V. and Last, P. 1999. Mobulidae. In: Capenter, K.E. and Niem, V.H. (eds), FAO species identification fuide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the western Central Pacific (Volume 3. Batoid Fishes, Chimeras and Bony Fishes. Part 1 (Elopidae to Linophymidae)). Rome: FAO.
Daw, B., and McGregor, F. 2008. Management of Manta Ray (M.birostris) Interactive Tours in the Shallow Lagoonal Waters of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia – A Global Benchmark for Tourism Interactions, Paper presented at the 2008 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Montreal, Canada
Deakos, M.H. 2010a. Ecology and social behavior of a resident manta ray (Manta alfredi) population off Maui, Hawai’i. PhD thesis, University of Hawai’i, Manoa, Hawai’i.
Kashiwagi, T. Marshall, A. D., Bennett, M. B., and Ovenden, J. R. 2011. Habitat segregation and mosaic sympatry of the two species of manta ray in the Indian and Pacific Oceans: Manta alfredi and M. birostris. Marine Biodiversity Records: 1-8.
Maigret, J. and Ly, B. 1986.. Les poissons de mer de Mauritanie. Science Nat., Compiègne.
Marshall, A. D. 2009. Biology and population ecology of Manta birostris in southern Mozambique. PhD Thesis, University of Queensland
Marshall, A., Bennett, M.B., Kodja, G., Hinojosa-Alvarez, S., Galvan-Magana, F., Harding, M., Stevens, G. & Kashiwagi, T. 2011. Manta birostris. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. 1987. A revisionary study of the genus Mobula Rafineque, 1810 (Chondrichthyes: Mobulidae) with the description of a new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 91: 1-91.
Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. and Hillyer, E.V. 1989. Mobulid rays off eastern Venezuela (Chnodrichthyes, Mobulidae). Copeia, 3: 607-614.
Tibirica, Y. Birtles, A. Valentine, P., and Miller, D.K. 2009. Diving tourism in Mozambique-An opportunity at risk. Proceedings of Congress on Coastal and Marine Tourism, Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, 12 pp.
Waheed, A. 1998. Economic value of ‘marine ecotourism’ in the Maldives. Bay of Bengal News, 12(2): 23.
Adventure Sports - Dive Gizo - Kerrie Kennedy
Bali Diving Academy Chloe Guillevic
Barra Lodge
Benguerra Lodge – Meg McDonald
Bikiliki Liveaboard – Sam Leeson
Castaway Island – Dawn Wakeham
Colombo Divers – Olivenzo, Dharshana Jayawardena
Divine Diving - Marij Aben
Fish 'n Fins Palau - Tova Bornovski
Geko Dive - Liv Harding
Khao Lak Scuba Adventures - Natthaphon Chotmaneepithak
Kon-Tiki Phuket – Michael Wallentin
Koro Sun Dive
L’Aventure Divers - Rodney
Liquid Adventures - Cindy Acutt
Liquid Adventures Liveaboard - Linus Nylund
M/V OKTAVIA - Karin Lund Nielsen
Manta Ray Bay Resort – Bill Acker
Moana Cruises – Ingo Heitbrok
Mozdivers – Jon Wright
M/V Queen Scuba - Mike Thomas
Nabucco Island Resort - Evelyne
Oberhauser & Rainer Suhr
Nai’a Liveaboard – Alex Edwards
Nakia Resort & Dive -Julie Kelly, Aaron Mell
Namale Resort – Emosi Baravilala
Nautilus Explorer – Mike Lever
Papageno Resorts - Elisabeth
PapuaParadise EcoResort - Anett Hidvegi
Peri Peri Divers – Steve Counsel
Rani Resorts – Lindy Chazen
Raya Divers Co., Ltd., - Mika Eriksson
Reef Encounters, Japan - Doug Bennett
Sanbis Resort – Hans Mergozzi
Seadragon Dive Center – Alphons van Lieshout
Sea Fiji Travel – Scott Kukral
Sonaisali Island Resort – Koroi and Melyn
South Siam Divers Co.,Ltd. - Aoi
Thailand Dive and Sail - Ric Parker
True Blue Watersports – Cher Walker
Tofo Scuba – Nikki Pears
Tui Tai Liveaboard - Samuel Miles
West Side Water Sports – Fiona Caldwell
Wicked Diving – Paul Landgraver
World Wide Dive and Sail – Susie Erbe
www.palaumantarays.com - Jeanette Denby
Yap Pacific Dive Resort – Dieter Kudler
