MANTA RAYS

So the CITES conference has been going on, discussing the matter of whether or not a species should be considered endangered and protected. My blog today will be talking about the Manta Ray. It is considered to be a big matter since the population of Manta Rays have been decreasing very rapidly for the past years, especially in the ocean of Thailand. They are mostly hunted down for their gills which can be used in Chinese medicine, to make oil and for their meat. Major countries that are regularly trading these products are China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau. The sad thing about this is, they are mainly used for their gills while the rest of the bodies get thrown back into the ocean.

The profit of which these Manta Rays provide for trade owners are very high leading to the increase in Manta Ray tradings. Many of them are also accidentally caught by fishermen since they wander in open water. Because Manta Rays are only common in the wild and not bred, the impact of human's activity on the environment becomes quite harsh and extreme.

Also, due to the increase in demand for products made from Manta Rays many of them are hunted down even before the period of maturation. If they are caught before being completely matured these Manta Rays then are not able to breed to help stabilized the loses in their population.

One of the issues about trying to save this species is that countries are very dependent on Manta Ray trades. If this species are considered endangered, countries that have been trading products made from them would lose a huge amount of money which could hurt their economy badly.

These Manta Rays, just like any other species should be saved because they are a part of our world. They are the beauty of the ocean, a part of the marine ecosystem. Because they are the top predator, if the species becomes endangered or extinct that could really the food chain or food web they are included in. Manta Rays is one of many species that keep the ecosystem balanced.

LINK:
1) http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/339797/manta-rays-and-cites
2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287041/Ethereal-underwater-photos-draw-attention-plight-stunning-manta-rays-hunted-gills.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
3) http://www.mantaray-world.com/manta-ray-conservation-efforts.html