![]() ![]() This legal protection has been expanded under the recently passed 2015 Republic Act 10654 “An act to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated fishing amending Republic Act No. 193 Series of 1998 (“Ban on the taking or catching, selling, purchasing and possessing, transporting and exporting whale sharks and manta rays”) of the Department of Agriculture. ![]() birostris has been protected under Philippine laws since 1998 particularly Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. Six out of these seven species are caught either directly or indirectly (by-catch) in fisheries around the country (Dolar, 1994 Alava et al., 2002 Rayos et al. In the Philippines, seven species of mobulid rays occur: Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792), Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868), Mobula japanica (Müller & Henle, 1841), Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908), Mobula tarapacana (Philippi, 1892), Mobula kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841) and Mobula eregoodootenke (Bleeker, 1859) (Alava et al., 2015). Mobulid rays or devil rays fall under the Family Mobulidae, represented by two genera, the Manta and Mobula (Couturier, 2012). The description of this fishery and habitat for the reef manta ray in the Surigao Strait is important in the understanding of the status of the species in the Philippines and in designing a management framework. ![]() This relatively recent ray fishery in the Surigao Strait is the source of mobulids during the off-fishing season in Bohol with fishers from this area transporting and selling their processed catches to Bohol. Local ecological knowledge of the fishers provided important information on the extent and characteristics of the fishery. Based on morphological examination and through DNA barcoding using the mitochondrial DNA CO1 gene of tissue samples it was verified that the species targeted in this area is the reef manta ray, Manta alfredi. Key informant interviews, observation of catch landings, and tissue sample collection were conducted in a fishing village off Dinagat Island. alfredi in a previously unknown area of occurrence in the Philippines. This study aimed to identify and describe the presence of and fishery for M. A second species of manta, Manta alfredi was taxonomically resurrected in 2009 and also only recently been confirmed to occur in the Philippines. In the Bohol Sea, mobulids have been fished since at least the nineteenth century yet the extent is not well-understood. Seven species of mobulid rays occur in the Philippines, six of which, including the Giant Manta Ray ( Manta birostris) are caught directly or indirectly. ![]()
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