Distribution, site affinity and regional movements of the manta ray, Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868), along the east coast of Australia
Lydie I. E. Couturier A B G , Fabrice R. A. Jaine B C E , Kathy A. Townsend D , Scarla J. Weeks C E , Anthony J. Richardson B F and Michael B. Bennett A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
B Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Cleveland, Qld 4163, Australia.
C Centre for Spatial Environmental Research, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
D School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
E Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
F Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics (CARM), School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: l.couturier@uq.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 62(6) 628-637 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10148
Submitted: 18 June 2010 Accepted: 12 December 2010 Published: 24 June 2011
Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2011 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Despite the increasing tourism interest worldwide for the manta ray, Manta alfredi, very little is known about its biology and ecology. Knowledge of its distribution and movement patterns is important for conservation purposes. Here we describe the distribution, site visitation and movements of M. alfredi along the east coast of Australia. Photographic identification techniques were used to identify individual manta rays at three study sites: Lady Elliot Island, North Stradbroke Island and Byron Bay. Of 388 M. alfredi individuals identified at Lady Elliot Island, 187 (48%) were subsequently re-identified at least once at the same site. In total, 31 individuals were identified at both Lady Elliot Island and North Stradbroke Island (~380 km to the south) and 4 at both Lady Elliot Island and Byron Bay (~500 km to the south). Manta alfredi was present all year around at Lady Elliot Island, although in higher numbers in winter, and was mainly observed at North Stradbroke Island and Byron Bay from mid-spring to mid-autumn. This is the first report of seasonal movements and site affinity for M. alfredi in eastern Australian waters and emphasises the value of photographic identification for monitoring the occurrence of individuals.
Additional keywords: elasmobranch, migration, photographic identification, seasonality.
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