Manta Rays, Baja, California
Project Leader: Dr Robert Rubin
Background
Supported by SOSF, Dr Robert Rubin, a marine ecology specialist and Professor of Biology at the Santa Rosa Community College in California, continues to carry out pioneering fieldwork into the population dynamics of manta rays off the coast of Mexico.
In the field
Beginning in 1990, he has been conducting field research on the population and community ecology of manta rays based around the Revillagigedos Islands, which lie 390 miles south of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California. These islands are the only visible peaks of huge underwater seamounts that stretch all the way to Antarctica, providing a unique ecosystem for large populations of marine megafauna.
Aims & objectives
Dr Rubin has expanded his work continues on manta rays to several other locations, including Yap, the Cocos Islands and Hawaii. With the continued support of SOSF Dr Rubin will continue the scale of his fieldwork into the population ecology of globally distributed populations of manta rays.