Florida tightens rules on capturing giant manta rays but stops short of full ban | Florida

Wildlife officials in Florida will continue to allow threatened giant manta rays to be taken from the ocean, but they have since tightened their policies. viral video It showed a caught ray was in severe distress, and a bipartisan group of politicians called for an end to the controversial practice.

Members of the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) voted Wednesday to adopt an amended final rule that reserves the right to say when and where rays can be caught in the U.S. for “responsible exhibition.”

Eighteen politicians, including Republican congressman Brian Mast, Democratic state senator Jason Pizzo and members of the Florida House and Senate from both parties, had pushed for a full ban.

“By continuing to allow the capture of manta rays, the Commission is prioritizing the interests of the captive marine animal entertainment industry over the conservation of threatened species.” they wrote Thank you to FWC chairman Rodney Barreto and other panel members earlier this month.

Their anger was provoked last summer by a video shared on social media by a tour boat captain in Panama City Beach that showed five men carrying an upside-down stingray on a net to an unmarked private boat.

The capture was authorized by a “special activity license” (SAL) issued by the FWC and the ray destined for display at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. It was one of three taken in two years from Florida waters for a United Arab Emirates theme park; One of them died shortly after capture and was the last of 25 licenses issued for manta rays since 2019, according to the Tampa Bay Times. reported.

After reviewing data provided by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the newspaper said 75 percent of them were for international aquariums.

The commission discussed the concerns this week, but still approved a rule that would allow the taking of manta rays with direct prior approval from the commission. Rays can no longer be captured and shipped to aquariums overseas, and any U.S. organization that wants to exhibit them must prove an educational reason.

of Atlanta Georgia AquariumAn attraction with a number of research and conservation programs, it is currently the only facility in the country that can house and display these sculptures. threatened speciesCapable of reaching a span of 26 ft (eight meters) and a weight of 5,300 lb (2,400 kg).

Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Cross, who signed the letter and is a sponsor of the Marine and Aquatic Threatened Animal (Manta) Protection Act in the Florida legislature, said the commission’s action is “a step forward in protecting Florida’s marine species.”

HE invoiceIt would impose an outright ban on the capture of deceased, threatened or endangered marine species from Florida waters in committee stage in March, eliminating the need for an FWC rule.

“While I and others have called for a complete ban on the capture of species like the giant manta ray, the amended rule would ban the international export of federally threatened or endangered species for exhibition or educational purposes,” he said.

“Commission approval for any new SAL would increase transparency and allow for public comment and a more iterative process through which the commission could set additional parameters.”

Alicia Prygoski, ALDF’s director of strategic legislative affairs, praised the commission for a “meaningful step” but expressed concern that the commission also omitted a proposed manta ray limit every two years from the final rule.

“Giant manta rays are threatened for a reason and they deserve the highest level of protection, which of course means none of them should be taken out of the water,” he said.

“But there are still some things that can be taken away from this. The commission was strong on an outright ban on international exports, which was in a way a response to stakeholders and a very concerning viral video.”

“Removing the manta ray limit is still something we are concerned about. However, in practice this does not appear to pose an immediate risk as there is only one aquarium in the country equipped to accommodate them.”

“Overall we are quite happy to see the overall result and the FWC is taking this seriously.”

Barreto said in a statement that the panel considered the concerns of politicians and animal advocates but weighed them against the need for education about vulnerable species.

“FWC is committed to the responsible conservation of endangered and threatened species,” he said.

“We recognize the role public aquariums play in generating conservation support. The actions we take will ensure the highest level of oversight for the responsible collection of marine threatened species for display in the United States.”

The new rule will come into force on July 1.