Dr Andrea Marshall can be seen in various documentaries “dancing” with 1,361kg manta rays. These underwater giants have 5.5m wingspans, but surprisingly, despite their size, they still elegantly glide in the deep ocean with relative ease.
Andrea Marshall encounters a giant manta ray.
Over the last 10 years, the conservation biologist has swum with thousands of the species of huge flattened fish.
“They have the largest brain of any fish, make incredible ocean journeys and dive almost 1.5km from the surface,” she said. “They never sleep and swim constantly over their 40-year lifespans. They’re so curious and smart and always ready to interact and play with you.”
Her groundbreaking research and global lobbying built momentum for the protection of the globally threatened species, which was listed in Appendix II of the Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) held in Bangkok, in March 2013.
Last year, she was recognised as one of National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers. A current partnership between the National Geographic Society and skincare brand La Mer supports Marshall in making a tangible impact on ocean conservation, with much of her work having been honoured by La Mer to mark World Oceans Day, on Sunday, June 8.
“The ocean realm is consumed by this impossible sense of balance. As I came to know more about our oceans this has always been the thing that impressed me most. Hundreds of thousands of organisms live in this dynamic liquid world, each highly refined to take advantage of their specific niche, each playing such a critical role in the ecosystem,” she said.
The lack of scientific research on manta rays urged Marshall to pursue a doctoral degree, which led to her becoming the first person ever to complete a PhD on manta rays.
Feeding at the water surface, the large animal often get entangled in fishing lines, get hit by boats, or are caught in nets. They are also killed for their lucrative gill rakers that are used in a medicinal tonic.
Such human exploitation threatens a species, which produce only one pup every two to three years in the wild, and the declining numbers of manta rays will have an effect on the natural order of the pelagic environment.
Andrea Marshall, the first person in the world to have a PhD on manta rays.
Marshall’s research has gathered data that validates greater conservation efforts while her ocean exploration discovered a second manta species. “We learned that the second species undertakes long distance migrations and dives into the depths of the ocean almost 1,400m from the surface. Both of these interconnected discoveries rocked not only the field I am in, but marine research in general, highlighting once again how much there is to learn about our oceans,” she said.
The explorer co-founded the Marine Megafauna Foundation, which conducts research in Mozambique’s remote southern coastline where there is a large manta population. Even so, the reef population in Mozambique has declined by over 88% in just a decade.
Her most memorable moment with the sea creature, however, occurred in the Maldives, during the filming of BBC’s Manta Queen documentary. Jumping into a small bay, she found herself surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of reef mantas that had her swimming away from the cameras to take in the spectacular sight.
“I had never seen so many mantas together before; it felt like being dropped centrestage at the Russian Ballet. In all my life I have never witnessed such an awe-inspiring sight, nor felt so completely humbled,” she said.
“It is rare to see nature in its purest, unadulterated form. I remember laughing and playing like a five-year-old underwater that day. Experiences like this remind me on a daily basis what we are fighting to safeguard.”
The documentaries promote an awareness of the vulnerable animal and Marshall’s conservation efforts. “My job, as a scientist and a conservationist, is not finished until I manage to disseminate the information I gather to the public. Scientific data often collects dust on the shelves of libraries, but passed on to the public, that same information can create a stirring that can change the world,” she said.
Her automated online database for manta rays now shares findings and photos with the rest of the world, while the Citizen Science project engages people to be a part of the data collection on threatened species of marine megafauna, like whale sharks and manta rays.
Encouraging participation, Marshall views World Oceans Day as a time to reflect on what the ocean means to humans and what, as individuals, we can do in our own small way to give back.
“Perhaps it means participating in a beach clean-up, or even better, making a continued commitment to clean your local beaches. You may want to go on a dive or share your stories and underwater images with friends that don’t know much about the ocean. If you don’t live near the sea, perhaps you want to blog or post about what the ocean means to you and your hopes for its future,” she said.
“We rely on the health of the oceans and the battle to save them now represents a fight to preserve our own future,” said Marshall. “If I had one wish, it would be that we could find a greater sense of balance with nature, give back to our oceans as much as we take from them. We must learn to respect and take care of our ocean like our life depends on it, because it does.”
