Andrea Marshall ~ Women Divers Hall of Fame

Manta Mania in Yap May 24-30, 2007 Famous Biologist Andrea Marshall and Photo Pro Tim Rock


Women Divers Hall of Fame

http://www.wdhof.org/scholarships/2004scholarships.shtml

Hillary Viders, Ph.D. 2004 Scholarship

A scholarship awarded to a qualified woman of any age, diver or non-diver, who is enrolled in an accredited academic or research program in the field of marine science and conservation.

Awarded To: Andrea Marshall

Andrea Marshall is an avid underwater photographer and marine biologist whose documented scientific expeditions have appeared in various books and magazines worldwide. She holds Marine Biology degrees from the University of California and the University of Queensland, Australia. Andrea specializes in the study of sharks and rays. Currently she is researching a population of many rays off the coast of Eastern Africa in rural Mozambique. She plans to use her scholarship to pay for expenses related to her field work.

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http://www.shootunderwater.com/

2008/9 Yap Manta Seminar and Indo Trips



(Dr. Andrea Marshall pictured above) This will be a week of combined science, underwater photography and fun with Dr. Andrea Marshall and Tim Rock. (more)
www.shootunderwater.com

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Trip: http://shootunderwater.com/_wsn/page2.html

Manta Mania in May - Yap, Micronesia Manta Ray Bay Hotel & Yap Divers are proud to host Manta Mania 24th - 31st May 2008. This will be a week of combined science, underwater photography and fun with Dr. Andrea Marshall and Tim Rock. Andrea is the founder of the Mozambique Manta Research Project and is doing some ground-breaking work in the area of manta study and marine science. Tim is a Lonely Planet author and Micronesia-based photojournalist as well as expert Manta shooter. They will be on the dive boats daily along with Manta Man Bill Acker. The week will include a number of manta dives as well as reefs and walls. Evenings will feature captivating film shows and seminars by Dr. Marshall and Rock about mantas and diving in Yap and throughout the world. Manta Mania participants will do more than dive. They will learn about identifying manta rays and kick-start the Yap Manta Ray ID program. Their photographs and observations will be used as part of a global comparative study on Manta Rays. Ask for Code TR01 and get the 7 night / 10 Dive Packages starting from $1229.00 per person. For more details, visit contact: "Manta Ray General Manager" gm@mantaray.com.

Manta Ray Research, Mozambique

Manta Ray & Whale Shark Research Centre, Mozambique

http://mozmarinescience.googlepages.com/mantarayresearch



Excerpt: Over 600 individuals have been identified at Manta Reef, making the Mozambican Manta Photo Database the largest scientific manta database in the world. [FMP data base]

News : Research : Conservation : Education : Get involved : Adopt a fish! : About us : Sponsors

Andrea Marshall is the founder of the Mozambique Manta Research Project and is doing some ground-breaking work in the area of manta study and marine science.

New Manta Ray Species Discovered

National Geographic News

New Manta Ray Species Discovered, Expert Says
Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
July 31, 2008

What scientists call the manta ray is actually at least two distinct species with unique behaviors and lifestyles, a scientist announced recently.

The more commonly known manta ray is smaller and more easily seen, usually staying near coasts.

Little is known about a second, larger species that avoids contact with humans and seems to have wider migration patterns. It also has evolutionary remnants of a spine and a harmless, nonstinging barb on its tail.

The two types—which are not yet named—also appear visually distinct, exhibiting unique colors and textures.

Andrea Marshall, a Ph.D candidate at Australia's University of Queensland, presented the findings last week in Montreal at a first-ever symposium of ray experts.

Graceful Giants

Manta rays are graceful giants in the ray family that can weigh over 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms).

Mantas may have wingspans of almost 25 feet (8 meters). The fish are also harmless and do not possess the poisonous barb found in some of their cousins, including some stingray species.

Australian environmentalist Steve Irwin was killed by such a barb.

While both manta species roam all the oceans, they appear to have a different lifestyle.

The smaller rays—familiar to divers in Hawaii, the Maldives, Mozambique, Australia, and Japan—are year-round residents of certain marine spots, such as coral reefs.

Scientists suspect the larger, more mysterious, rays are highly migratory animals that wander the world's seas.

(Read about another mysterious ray, Asia's giant river stingray.)

Lucky Site

The species discovery was the unexpected result of five years of hard work and a bit of good fortune, Marshall said.

"As luck would have it, it looks like here in Mozambique is the only [known] location where we see both species interacting on the same reef," said Marshall, whose effort was funded by the Switzerland-based Save Our Seas Foundation.

Though much of Marshall's time was spent underwater, she also logged long hours collecting data around the world in a search for proof that the species were distinct.

To build her case she pursued evidence from DNA labs and Indonesian fishing villages, where the migrating species is still commonly caught.

Rachel Graham of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Punta Gorda, Belize, was impressed by Marshall's work, one of the longest-running manta studies ever conducted.

"We were just incredibly excited about this," she said. "The work was very in-depth and I think [for the most part] the group was convinced."

Conservation Challenges

The new species discovery will add to challenges for those seeking to protect the vulnerable, slow-to-reproduce rays.

(Related: "Photo: First Giant Manta Ray Born in Captivity Dies" [June 18, 2007].)

The smaller manta species is at risk because of their limited range.

"If someone comes into a coastline or island group and starts up a fishery, you could wipe out that population in a year or two," University of Queensland's Marshall said.

"That would [threaten] regional extinction like what may [be happening] in the Gulf of California."

The migratory mantas provide their own challenges, she added. They respect no borders, so protection efforts must involve a complicated cooperation between many nations and groups.

"Both species face independent issues in terms of conservation management," Marshall said. "We have to understand the threats to each."

© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

Monster manta ray species discovered

The larger species of manta ray. (Photo © Andrea Marshall)

Monster manta ray species discovered
mongabay.com
July 25, 2008

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of manta ray. Previously there was believed to be only a single species of ray but genetic analysis now shows there are at least two, and possibly three, species.


Dr. Andrea Marshall

The research, carried out by Andrea Marshall, a marine biologist sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation, distinguishes a larger and rarer type of manta as a new species. The species can reach a weight of 4500 pounds (2 metric tons) with a pectoral fins "windspan" of 26 feet (8 m). It appears to be more migratory and elusive, than its smaller, more common cousin.

Manta rays are the largest of over 500 different species of rays and skates. Unlike stingrays, manta rays are harmless and do not possess a stinging barb. They feed on plankton.

Rays are commonly harvested for foot markets, especially in Asia, but also suffer as bycatch. As a result, populations are declining in some regions.

More information is available at SaveOurSeas.com

comment:

I dived with Andrea in Tofo while staying at Casa Barry Lodge, This woman is truly amazing in what she is doing for Manta Rays in Mozambique. If you ever go to Mozambique you need to try and meet this woman, maybe you might get lucky enough to get a dive in with her and the Mantas.

Mike Warren