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If in August was bad November was worst! 4 mantas killed by gill nets

11/17/2012

2 Comments

 
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13/Nov./2012

A local fisherman came to the dive center while the divers were getting ready to go to ask for help because they had caught lots of mantas in their fishing nets close to the launching area. The mantas were probably caught at night and got tangled in three different nets. The divers went out, Juan and Sabrina got in the water and managed to free one devil ray, but the rest – four mantas and 6 devil rays were too tangled and the fishermen despite of being positive to release the mantas, did not want to cut the net. Eventually after trying for a long time, the divers needed to go as the clients were getting sick on the boat and complaining. The mantas were too tangled to do anything underwater without cutting the nets, so the fishermen decided to pull the nets out of the water. Yara and Sarah were on the beach to try convince them to release the mantas if they were still alive. The fishermen agreed to release the mantas in exchange of 200met per manta. Unfortunately the mantas had stayed in the nets for too long and they were too tangled, hurt and tired and despite of showing a bit of movement they were almost dead. About 8 people together managed to turn one of the manta that were still breathing and put her back to the sea, but she was too heavy, tired and hurt, her wing were cut, her skin was red and she could barely move. There was not much anyone could do at this stage, the mantas and devil rays stayed for too long tangled in the nets trying to make their body free, probably the whole night and got too hurt to survive.  From the ones pulled out to the beach only a recently born devil ray (about 13cm) where released alive. It was a very sad, frustrating and heart breaking day to everyone that where there trying to save these animals that suffer as hell for probably over 10 hours. Some fishermen were positive and collaborative to try save the mantas, others was acting as everything were a joke jumping on the top of the dead manta saying “meat, meat!”.  Around 3-4 tourists were shocked taking pictures. After we could do no more, Yara started to explained the fishermen the spot pattern, the low reproduction rate, sex etc. She asked one of the fishermen who was chopping a manta to turn the belly up to ID the manta. He said that it was too heavy that he needed help so she and more 5 fishermen turned the body. Then they started to look the spot patterns and were amazed that it was true, each manta had different spots.  Some of them were very inquisitive about it and we organized a meeting for next Sunday to explain more about the mantas and maybe agree in an emergency plan for next time that this happen. The meeting is booked for Sunday afternoon, we hope that it will happen and that something positive will come from this very tragic day.


2 Comments
Andreotti L. Manaca
12/2/2012 06:42:56 pm

Not only in Zavora gill nets kills manta rays and sharks, here in Tofo we have the same problem and it seems like the fisheries do it by willing not by mistake.
Because as soon they bring the mantas or sharks out of the water, the meet is quickly cutted and distribuited or sold at the beach, and traces are quickly deleted. They never report or try to release anything.
Unfortunatle communities don't want to understand that those animals are more valuable inwater than in-pot (as food).
How can fisheries says we want to release the mantas but dont cut our nets? They're being sarcastic, it's just to look good on the picture (oh we tryied to have than back to the Ocean), that is wat they wanted to transmite.
They just came to you because it was a big number of rays and mantas that they couldn't afford to hide it from you as they caugh it close to the launching area. This was the thinking "Before they discover it, lets run to them and make up".

So sad...and tourists could have been more tollerants as sooner as if we allow people to hunt this animals in very few years they will come and may not be able to see those animals in Mozambique.
If I was one of the tourists I would have tryied to do something to help I feel proud of doing so, not complaining as they did.

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Yara Tibirica link
12/2/2012 10:08:23 pm

Hello there, the tragic story of these mantas is generating some discussion and debating points. Te story above is the pure description of what happened in that day. I was on the beach when the mantas were pulling on and my personal opinion is that we loose quite a lot when we try to generalize people (or group of people).
As in any society group there are people that care and people that don´t and for me it was exactly what happened that day. There were fishermen that truly would like to help and others that did not care at all. I think as a tourist it is a real shame to complain. If I was the tourist I would have asked to let me go dive and help, but again there are all kind of people in any kind of society group...
The fishermen asked the help of the dive center because the nets was too heavy to pull out and they would rather prefer to release the mantas and pull out their fish than had their nets damaged. Now I am referring to the owner of the net, who I spoke with. Of course he did not want to cut his net as it is with the net that he feeds his family, but I am absolutely sure he would release the manta for small amount of money. The manta has no economic value for him. In fact he did try to release the manta but unfortunately it was too late. He was opened to listen and to collaborate and is a person that I believe could work together if we find a solution acceptable from all sides. The guys jumping on the manta was in my view are idiots as it was the tourist. It does not mean that all tourist are idiots and that all fishermen are idiots either, it means that there are all kind of people in any society group. We must be able to identify the good ones and work with them.
I think we could had done better if we had an emergency plan in mind and agreed with the fishermen prior the incident. No one was expecting what happened and we did what we could at that instant. The fisherman owner of the net, did listen to what I was saying that day and I am convinced he would prefer to release the manta for a small amount of money as compensation. He told the other fishermen to help to release and we tried. It was too latte, it was absolutely terrible but would be unfair to say the fishermen don´t listen to. He did. Not all of them did.
For me two big lessons came out from this day:
1. we can work together but we need a plan, we need to identify key players, we need to be prepared to deal with emergencies like that. It must have a dialogue and exchange of information between all the parts involved prior to events and a plan.
2. There are good and bad people in any society group. People that care about nature and people that don´t.
3. We all destroying nature even if is not our intention. We can minimize our personal impact by the way that we leave and the things that we do but we still causing lots of impact in Earth. So lets stop point fingers and look for good people and work with them, they are out there everywhere in any group or society.
Peace, Yara.

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    Zavora Marine Lab. is the research department of the Association of Coastal Conservation of Mozambique (ACCM). ACCM develop vital research and conservation projects in Zavora, Mozambique.

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