A manta, nicknamed Squidy, estimated to have lived off the shores of Mozambique for at least 10 years, with 4 recorded sightings, was killed at Zavora Beach by local fisherman earlier this week. This manta was originally spotted in 2003 by Megafauna Association in Tofo, and seen alive for the last time in 2007 in Tofo. Its sighting in Zavora was the last one and unfortunately while she was brutally cut when she was still alive.

The manta appears to have been caught in a fishing net; it is unknown whether or not this was intentional. It was then pulled up onto the beach, where it was set upon by 15-20 fishermen armed with machetes. The manta was violently slaughtered and then distributed to the locals bartering for its meat in the stirring red waters.

As part of a group of marine researchers interested in conservation, it is difficult to watch the effects of humanity on one of the very creatures that we strive to study and save. Mantas have a very slow reproductive rate, having only one offspring every two to three years. This slow rate of repopulation makes the spread of knowledge about them vital. With more education, it might be possible to protect them and see that they are released from fishermen's nets in the future.

The African sun has just set on our last night in Zavora, and we are sitting around the dinner table recanting stories from the past month. Since the last blog entry, we have seen some INCREDIBLE marine life. There have been mantas both above and below the water, as well as turtles, whales, sailfish, and dolphins. One of the highlights of our recent boat trips out to the dive sites was seeing a whale shark and jumping in to snorkel with it. We had the chance to do a "fun dive" today on our last day here, so we did a deep dive at Dean's. The dive site had giant potato bass, a swim-through, and a floating fishbowl of trevally. Niki, diving on nitrox, was rewarded with a rare blue marlin sighting on her deep stop!

We've also had a chance to explore Mozambique away from the ocean. We went horseback riding with Sabrina (a former intern turned resident) to Lagoa Poelela, where we went swimming with the horses. We also escaped to Barra for a getaway weekend - it was well worth the two-hour drive spent crammed into the bed of a truck! We stayed in a house right above the mangroves, and explored those as well as a nearby lagoon. The lagoon had a whole host of different marine life and included sea moths, polychaete worms, seahorses, and of course nudibranchs.

It's been a great month here, full of interesting people and amazing wildlife. I'm personally going to miss walking everywhere barefoot and being out on the water daily! As we prepare to head back to our respective continents (Niki stays in Africa, Emma is heading back to Europe, and I'm on my way back to North America), we are already making plans for when we can come back.

Androniki and I, the ACCM Zavora interns for the month of August, are
around the halfway point of our stay here in Mozambique. We are joined
by Emma, who is working mainly on humpback whale research. If the
second half of the month is anything like the first, I just might be
telling my mom to cancel my plane ticket home! Humpback whale
sightings and swimming with mantas have both become everyday
occurences, and are accompanied by nudibranchs, the occasional turtle,
and a whole host of other marine life.

We have been following a set schedule here, with different tasks and
goals to achieve every day. One regularly occuring task is the
Humpback Whale Land Survey, which takes place every other day. During
our 3-hour shift, we sit atop a dune and make note of the conditions
that accompany each humpback whale sighting. We take these
observations a step further with the Humpback Whale Boat Survey, where
we get a chance to take a closer look at the whales from the dive
boat. Yesterday we had whales pass less than 2 meters from the boat,
and at one point we were surrounded on all sides by whales traveling
and slapping their tails! We've also observed mantas swimming at the
surface, a pod of dolphins, a sailfish, and - most memorably - a whale
shark.

Jumping off the boat and into the water, we've had some great diving
experiences as well. I personally love the Manta ID task, where we
strive to take pictures of the mantas' distinct underbellies. Being
surrounded by those massive, graceful creatures never gets old!
Androniki, however, would probably lean more towards the Nudibranch
Search. She has found a varietal of nudibranchs, ranging from large
and brightly colored to the smaller and more mundane, and has a great
eye for them on the reefs.

Away from the internship, we've had a chance to enjoy all that Zavora
has to offer. The bigger outings, like kayaking and horseback riding,
have been interspersed with trips into Inharrime, nights around the
fire making pizza and barbecued chicken, and of course plenty of time
spent playing on the beach. I know I speak for all of us when I say
that we are looking forward to what the rest of the month will bring!