Spotted Eagle Ray
Ocean Divers is excited to announce our participation in Mote Marine Laboratory’s Spotted Eagle Ray Conversation Program by encouraging our divers and staff to report eagle ray sightings as part of a larger research project.
In 2009, Mote Marine Laboratory, along with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, initiated a conservation research program on the life history, reproduction and population status of the elasmobranch Aetobatus narinari, commonly known as the spotted eagle ray. The nonprofit laboratory is now expanding the observation of these beautiful creatures into the Florida Keys waters.
What This Project is About
Fishing pressure, combined with their low reproductive rates, make spotted eagle rays a vulnerable species. But there’s not enough information to determine how much danger they are in. The distribution, migration, feeding habits, growth rates and reproductive biology of spotted eagle rays are poorly defined.
What is known is that it is illegal to fish or kill spotted eagle rays in Florida waters. However, they are not protected under federal laws, and international protections are limited as well. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an organization that establishes the conservation status of species worldwide, lists them as near-threatened with a decreasing population trend.
Since the program’s beginning, Mote biologists have sampled, tagged and released more than 300 spotted eagle rays off the Southwest Florida coast to gain a better understanding of the population structure and life history of this species in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mote’s goals are two-fold:
- Gain knowledge about species populations in Florida water through the study of key life history traits;
- Raise public awareness and enhance conservation outreach and education on spotted eagle rays.
Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, the organization incorporates public outreach as a key part of its mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.
Odie Hammerhead and the Ocean Divers crew look forward to catching a glimpse of these beautiful creatures and to participating in the Mote Marine Laboratory Spotted Eagle Ray Conservation Program!
To report your spotted eagle ray sightings and share any photos, click here. (link: http://www.mote.org/index.php?src=forms&ref=Spotted%20Eagle%20Ray%20Reporting%20Form)
To learn more about the Mote project, click here. (link: www.mote.org/eagleray)
Sign up for a dive with Ocean Divers so you can look for eagle rays by calling (800) 451-1113 today!
Adrienne
America's Local Dive Shop. 