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www.savemauimantas.org Maui Mantas need your help before January 17, 2015

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deakos

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Maui's Manta Rays Need Your Help! www.savemauimantas.org

Most of you are probably familiar with the famous manta ray night dive in Kona, Hawaii. Well, a lessor known population of manta rays resides in Maui, nearly 350 of them. And although Hawaii protects mantas from being killed or captured, 10% of the Maui population suffers from an amputated or severely damaged cephalic fin, an important appendage used to guide food into their mouths.

I've been studying this population for the past decade, completed my PhD in 2010, and now I'm trying to put an end to the needless pain and suffering caused by tightly wrapped fishing line that cuts into their flesh over weeks and months.

Please visit www.savemauimantas.org and support our crowdsourcing campaign to raise money to acquire 10 satellite tags. Each tag will give a manta ray a voice by teaching us which habitats are critical cleaning, pupping, and mating areas that need proper protection, and which habitats pose the greatest threat of entanglement in fishing gear. Once these habitats are known we can then work with fishers to mitigate the threat through awareness and possible gear modifications.

For those of you that have had the luxury of being investigated by a manta ray, you know how special these animals are and what a shame it would be if our grandchildren didn't have the opportunity to dive with one. Please donate and share the link on your Facebook and Twitter, etc. Your donation is tax deductible and even a small donation can go a long way with crowdsourcing. If you know anyone that is interested in sponsoring a satellite tag and getting access to real-time satellite data, please have them contact me at "deakos at hawaii dot edu".

The Lahaina News recently promoted the campaign: http://www.lahainanews.com/page/con...elp-protect-manta-rays-at-Olowalu.html?nav=19

Thanks for your support!
 

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Hi deakos, love the fact that youre taking the initiative to protect these guys. Id like to join in on your quest to save them. I am a 26year old, PADI MSDT and want to reach out to the ocean i love. If you have any positions going id like to hear about it. Thanks
 
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