Marine Megafauna Foundation

The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) is a marine biology research and conservation nonprofit notable for discovering, researching, and protecting large marine animals including whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, whales, and dugongs.

Whale Sharks are the World's Biggest Fish
Giant Manta Ray
Marine Megafauna Foundation
Formation2009
FoundersAndrea Marshall & Simon J Pierce
Founded atTofo Beach, Mozambique
Legal status501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization
HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, Florida, United States
AffiliationsManta Matcher, Sharkbook (formerly Whaleshark.org), Galapagos Whaleshark Project, Byron Bay Leopard Shark Project, Madagascar Whale Shark Project
Websitehttps://www.marinemegafauna.org/
Formerly called
Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre

MMF was founded in 2009 by marine biologists Andrea Marshall and Simon J Pierce in Tofo Beach, Mozambique. MMF operates globally, with permanent MMF research & conservation sites in Mozambique, Australia, Indonesia, and Florida, as well as other study-specific locations.[1][2][3][4][5]

Notable discoveries, research, and conservation initiatives
  • Pioneered the use of photo identification and artificial intelligence to study and track populations of whale sharks and other marine animals.[6][7] This has expanded to affiliated Citizen science programs such as Sharkbook[8] and Manta Matcher.[9][10][11]
  • Discovered a new type of Manta, the "reef manta ray" (Manta alfredi)[12]
  • Added whale sharks,[13] reef manta rays,[14] and oceanic manta rays[15][16] to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  • Established the Inhambane Province Hope Spot in collaboration with Sylvia Earle's Mission Blue[17]
  • Documented the first sightings of the ornate eagle ray (Aetomylaeus vespertilio) in the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Inhambane Province, Mozambique[18][19]
  • Documented the first recorded sighting of a live Smalleye Stingray underwater in 2009 and then the first successful tag of "the World's biggest ocean stingray"[20] in 2023.
  • Completed the first study of South Florida manta ray population,[21] and created the first accurate 3D model of an accurate digital 3D manta ray model with the Digital Life Project and ANGARI Foundation.[21]
  • Discovered and raised international alarm about illegal Chinese fishing practices after a whale shark named "Hope" with a satellite tag tracked by MMF & Galapagos Whale Shark Project was captured and killed in Galapagos. This ultimately resulted in a significant expansion to the Marine Protected Zone around the Galapagos.[22][23][24]
  • Created the Ocean Guardians education project in Mozambique to "raise a generation of guardians who understand and cherish the ocean through community engagement", which has been recognized by UNESCO. "The pilot education project reached over 2300 young Mozambicans and 7 schools have adopted an integrated marine conservation curriculum since 2012."[25]

References
  1. "Manta rays form close friendships, shattering misconceptions". National Geographic. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  2. "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  3. Will (2019-11-20). "Marine megafauna accidentally consuming harmful microplastics in Indonesia". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  4. "Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-08-09. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  5. "Manta Rays and Whale Sharks Are Consuming a Staggering Amount of Plastic". Gizmodo. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  6. Marshall, A. D.; Pierce, S. J. (April 2012). "The use and abuse of photographic identification in sharks and rays". Journal of Fish Biology. 80 (5): 1361–1379. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03244.x. PMID 22497388.
  7. Matthews-King, Alex (23 January 2017). "Whale sharks' secrets revealed by live-tracking aquatic drones". New Scientist. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  8. "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. Klein, JoAnna (2019-10-14). "The Mystery of the Melanistic Manta Rays". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  10. Venables, Stephanie K.; Marshall, Andrea D.; Germanov, Elitza S.; Perryman, Robert J. Y.; Tapilatu, Ricardo F.; Hendrawan, I Gede; Flam, Anna L.; van Keulen, Mike; Tomkins, Joseph L.; Kennington, W. Jason (2019-10-09). "It's not all black and white: investigating colour polymorphism in manta rays across Indo-Pacific populations". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1912): 20191879. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1879. PMC 6790782. PMID 31594509.
  11. "How A.I. is helping to protect the endangered whale sharks of the Galapagos". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. Marshall, Andrea D.; Compagno, Leonard J. V.; Bennett, Michael B. (2009-12-31). "Redescription of the genus Manta with resurrection of Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) (Chondrichthyes; Myliobatoidei; Mobulidae)". Zootaxa. 2301: 1–28. doi:10.5281/zenodo.191734.
  13. Pierce, S.J. & Norman, B. 2016. Rhincodon typus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19488A2365291. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T19488A2365291.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  14. Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C.L., Romanov, E. & Sherley, R.B. 2022. Mobula alfredi (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T195459A214395983. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T195459A214395983.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  15. Will (2020-12-10). "Giant manta becomes first manta ray to be listed as an endangered species". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  16. Marshall, A., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Derrick, D., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Rigby, C.L. & Romanov, E. 2022. Mobula birostris (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T198921A214397182. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T198921A214397182.en. Accessed on 31 January 2023.
  17. https://marinemegafauna.org/news/inhambane-seascape-hope-spot
  18. "Researchers Document the Rare Ornate Eagle Ray". Marine Megafauna Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  19. Venables, Stephanie K.; Conradie, Janneman; Marshall, Andrea D. (November 2021). "First records of the ornate eagle ray Aetomylaeus vespertilio from the Inhambane Province, Mozambique". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 101 (7): 1085–1088. doi:10.1017/S0025315422000054. ISSN 0025-3154. S2CID 247379157.
  20. "A wildlife first: World's biggest ocean stingray tagged in the wild". National Geographic. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  21. Steinhoff, Nane (2022-04-06). "First digital 3D model of a manta ray created". Oceanographic. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  22. "Galapagos marine reserve: Conservationists hail expansion". BBC News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  23. Myers, Steven Lee; Chang, Agnes; Watkins, Derek; Fu, Claire (2022-09-26). "How China Targets the Global Fish Supply". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  24. Collyns, Dan (2020-08-06). "'They just pull up everything!' Chinese fleet raises fears for Galápagos sea life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  25. "Ocean Guardians". Unesco Green Citizens. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
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