Manta Rays and whale sharks have been somewhat scarce at Hanifaru for the last 10 days, with a combination of rough seas, low plankton concentrations and neap tides the likely culprits for their absence. After a few weeks of thick clouds and torrential rain, the sun is now finally beginning to grace the skies again and has kick started the famed productivity for which these seas are known. Across much of the atoll the visibility has dropped to less than 7 m and the water’s greenish tinge indicates it is already dense with phytoplankton. Zooplankton armies are already on the march to feast on the phytoplankton and form the foundations of the manta ray and whale shark food web. In a few days time around the full moon another bout of spectacular mass feeding should be upon us.
In the meantime I took advantage of these manta-less days and visited Dhonfanu, a Small Island situated less then 1 km from Hanifaru Bay. Dhonfanu is one of the only two communities in Baa Atoll that has a long history of hunting whale sharks and manta rays. Whale sharks were always the preferred prize with the up to 200 liters of oil in their livers used by the islands boat builders to seal the hulls of fishing boats (dhonies) from the elements. Manta Rays were only targeted when whale sharks were scarce as their livers held far less oil. There is also talk that the leathery skin of manta rays was used to cover Bodu Beru drums, an important centerpiece in many Maldivian celebrations and rituals. The hides of stingrays were definitely used, but my hunt for an actual manta ray skin drum or definitive oral history still continuous.
The tools of ex-whale shark and manta ray hunters on Dhonfanu Island, Baa Atoll, Maldives.
On World Oceans Day 2009 however all that changed for the better when the waters surrounding the island were proclaimed a marine protected area. The foresightedness and environmental ethos of the newly elected Maldives government, the hard work of Save our Seas Foundation marine biologist Guy Stevens and National Geographic magazine’s ability to reach more than 50 million people around the globe has given Hanifaru’s manta rays and whale sharks a fighting chance to survive into perpetuity.
