After last summer’s non-event we, Manta Watch NZ, had high hopes that this summer and our fourth year of dedicated research would hit the mark. So far El Niño has not disappointed and we are pleased to announce it’s been our biggest season yet, in every regard, and we’re only a couple of months in!

We’ve had huge citizen science traction and engagement, with over 100 sightings submitted between 1 – 13 January. The more settled weather has also enabled our team to maximise research outputs with several multiday expeditions and more on the way. We have now satellite tagged 11 manta rays, eight of which were deployed in one day on 27 December.

Getting the tags out nice and early in the season has yielded some fantastic results so far (see tag pings from one manta below). This manta has been utilising the inner gulf, spending the last month foraging very close to the mainland and throughout popular boating areas and shipping lanes. All this information is critical for establishing greater protections around such productive areas that support a wide range of species, including the globally endangered oceanic manta ray.