Legal / Regulatory

January 12, 2021 - Oceanographic Magazine

Manta rays and whale sharks now protected by new commercial fishing law in Mozambique

A new commercial fishing law passed in Mozambique enacts protections for several threatened species, including whale sharks, manta rays, and all mobula species. The new legislation went into effect on January 8th. This victory comes after 20 years of research and lobbying efforts by the Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF).

“The largest identified populations of both reef and giant manta rays in Africa have been identified off the southern Mozambican coastline,” said MMF Co-founder and Principal Scientist, Dr. Andrea Marshall, “making it a critical region for their conservation in the Western Indian Ocean.”

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