Manta Project Fiji Impact Report 2023

2023 saw the 11th year of data collection on mobulid rays across the country. While we celebrate the
expansion of the project into new research areas and conservation initiatives, we remain conscious that
much work still needs to be done to better understand the vulnerability of this species group within Fiji
waters.
Baseline data collection continued at the project’s core sites in the Yasawa Islands at Barefoot Manta
Island Resort and in the North Kadavu Region at Kokomo Private Island Fiji, with photo identification,
environmental and anthropogenic data collected on all manta ray surveys. During 2023 our partnership with
Wakaya Island Resort was strengthened allowing increased surveys and baseline data collection around
Wakaya Island in the Lomaiviti Group of islands, an area with historically sparse data coverage.
Project Overview
2023
Baseline data collection also increased in the Suva area and in the remote Lau group in partnership with
Conservation International. Both these habitat areas are unique in that mutliple species of mobula ray are
sighted in these areas, giving the teams an opportunity to better understand some of the species we still know
very little about.
1060 Manta Surveys
Conducted
2 NEw core data
collection sites added
The 12th year of data collection for
Manta Project Fiji
1561 Manta Sightings
Recorded
7 Satellite Tags Deployed
Awareness & Education
delivered to 2500+ individuals
Across our survey sites we recorded 1561 manta ray sightings, an increase of 165 sightings when compared
to the 1396 sightings recorded throughout 2022. Increasing baseline data collection across the country is
still of priority due to many geographic areas being under represented in the sighting records.
Seven satellite tags were deployed across the country to help better understand broad-scale movement
ecology and critical habitat use of Fiji’s reef manta ray population. Tags were deployed in the Lau and
Lomaiviti group of islands, areas which we have very little information on the populations that inhabit the
waters.
Awareness workshops and educational lectures were delivered to a wide range of demographics including
university students, communtiy members, government officials, tourists and resort staff. We hope to
increase our outreach in 2024 and innovate on specific ways to engage different audiences.
A new student-led project was completed in 2023 from the University of the South Pacific, an exciting step
forward in our continued effort to support mobulid research led by University students and staff.