Manta and devil rays
These ten species of Mobulid ray (manta and devil rays) are being used in Ph.D. candidate, Melissa Cronin's work at UC Santa Cruz on ray conservation and by-catch. She looks at mapping and mitigating industrial fisheries by-catch of these large animals. Manta and devil rays are caught in tuna purse-seines, and they are susceptible to high mortality rates as a result. Cronin's work aims to understand some of the fundamentals of population dynamics and identify ways to help conserve these rays.
Due to the large size, pelagic habitat, and sensitive nature of by-catch photos, images of Mobulid rays are difficult to obtain. Illustrations were necessary for use in these research presentations and publications.
Due to the large size, pelagic habitat, and sensitive nature of by-catch photos, images of Mobulid rays are difficult to obtain. Illustrations were necessary for use in these research presentations and publications.
