- SEAKEEPERS' VESSEL DISCOVERY III
FMP Manta Aerial Survey Expedition
- December 4, 2025
- Ft.Lauderdale, Florida
Project Overview
Despite being large and charismatic megafauna, manta rays remained largely overlooked and understudied in Florida for many years. Established in 2016, the Florida Manta Project became the first research initiative dedicated specifically to Florida’s manta ray populations. Florida is unique in hosting both a rare manta ray nursery habitat and a large seasonal aggregation of adults.
Their pioneering work seeks to close critical knowledge gaps in manta ray biology, provide essential data to management agencies, identify key habitats, and advance conservation and public awareness. In 2025, the manta rays off Florida were formally described as a new species—the Atlantic Manta Ray, Mobula yarae. Yet even with this exciting discovery, much remains to be learned about the species’ ecology and life history.
Application
The Florida Manta Project (FMP)—a program of the Marine Megafauna Foundation—has led research on manta rays and guitarfish in the eastern United States. Their pioneering work aims to fill critical knowledge gaps in manta ray life history, provide essential data to government agencies, identify key habitats, and advance conservation and public awareness. To study these endangered rays, the FMP team employs a range of scientific and outreach methods, including photo identification of individual manta rays and guitarfish, satellite and acoustic telemetry, genetic sampling to assess population structure, and documentation of threats such as boat strikes and fishing gear entanglement. They also engage local communities by delivering educational lesson plans in schools and raising public awareness about manta rays and the challenges they face.
Expedition Summary
On December 4, 2025, the International SeaKeepers Society assisted the Florida Manta Project (FMP) in conducting a drone-based aerial survey along the South Florida coastline, spanning from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. This mission represented the latest effort in an ongoing initiative to monitor and document the region’s endangered manta rays. Using a high-resolution drone platform, the survey team scanned the coastal waters for mantas, identifying individuals from the air and directing vessel-based researchers to their locations.
Once mantas were located, the FMP field team attempted to collect in-water data, including high-quality identification photographs used to track individual movements and site fidelity over time. When conditions allowed, researchers also removed fishing line, assessed overall health, and documented visible injuries such as boat-strike scars or entanglement wounds—information essential for understanding the human pressures faced by this vulnerable species.
Location
Ft.Lauderdale, Florida
Duration of Project
This project has been ongoing since 2016.
Leadership
Research Team
Jessica Pate, Research Scientist, Florida Manta Project
Bryant Turffs, Research Assistant and Underwater Photographer, Florida Manta Project
Isabel Moyer, Research Assistant, Florida Manta Project
Ianna Gilbert, Research Intern, Florida Manta Project
Kaitlyn McQueeney, Research Volunteer, Florida Manta Project
Aubri Keith, Captain, The International SeaKeepers Society
Rosie Moore, Photographer, The International SeaKeepers Society
Partner Sites
Photo Gallery
