Almost 20 years of research and lobbying efforts have paid off and the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) has announced a major legislative victory for ocean life in Mozambique. A new commercial fishing law enacts sweeping protections for several threatened species, including whale sharks, manta rays, and all mobula species. This new legislation is a huge step in the right direction for the protection of threatened marine species in the country. Some of the most crucial and troubling data captured by MMF shows dramatic declines in observational sightings of marine megafauna like manta, mobula rays, and whale sharks. In 2013 they reported a 79% decline in whale shark sightings and an 88% decline in reef manta sightings, and sadly these trends continue.

Source: Read Full Article