🌊 Explore the New Cyclone Membership Experience!
🌪️ Join The Manta Trust Cyclone Membership for exclusive perks, discounts, and insider insights into manta conservation worldwide.
✨ What’s included?
🌍 Behind-the-scenes updates on global conservation efforts
📖 A quarterly e-magazine with stunning images and groundbreaking research
🎮 A digital welcome pack with fun activities and manta facts
🎁 Exclusive discounts:
➡️ Buy 1 Get 1 Free manta adoptions (£25)
➡️ 10% off eco-friendly Manta Trust merchandise
🔗Join today by visiting the link in our bio!
#JoinTheCyclone #Conservation #Research #MantaRays #DevilRays #MantaTrust
🎞️We’re excited to share these scenes with you soon!
Blue water and shifting light. Beneath the surface, gentle giants cast long shadows as they pass overhead. Where Devils Return, a short documentary premiering on 29 January 2026, takes us to the Azores, where one of the world’s most threatened ray species, the sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana), gathers in one of the Atlantic’s most remarkable marine environments.
“Every encounter with this animal is memorable, every time they choose to come to you, and turn their eye and look directly at you. I think it’s, at least to me, as special as the first time.” - Ana Filipa Sorbal (Manta Catalog Azores Project Leader)
🌊 These rays are among the deepest-diving of all manta and devil ray species, reaching depths of over 1,900 metres where light fades, and temperatures drop below 4°C. Yet each summer, they return to the warmer, shallower waters around Santa Maria Island.
🎥 We follow Ana Filipa Sobral and the team behind Manta Catalog Azores, an affiliate project of the Manta Trust, as they work to better understand and protect these threatened animals. Using non-invasive research methods including photo-identification, stereo-video photogrammetry, and contactless underwater ultrasound, the team is beginning to uncover why this place matters so much.
Watch the trailer now and mark your calendars for the premiere:
📅 29 January 2026
⏰ 8:00pm GMT
📍 Visit the link in our bio to head to the Manta Trust YouTube channel and click the “Notify Me” button to join our live premiere this Thursday.
🙌 A heartfelt thank you to Carl F. Bucherer, a long-time supporter of the Manta Trust’s mission, whose commitment has been vital in making this expedition possible.
🤝 We’re also deeply grateful to @expolabccv , @fabricadabaleia , @oceanariodelisboa , @exploresantamaria , and the wonderful people of Santa Maria.
🎥 Produced by Jasmine Corbett
🎞️ Footage by: Jasmine Corbett & Leila Scheltema
Additional footage by: Simon Hilbourne & Open Planet Studios
World Endangered Species Day is a call to protect the ocean’s most vulnerable species before it’s too late.
⚠️ All manta and devil ray species are now threatened with extinction. Across the world, fisheries capture them as bycatch, while targeted fishing for their gill plates and meat has driven steep and sustained population declines.
📉 The scale of risk is stark: three oceanic devil ray species are now listed as Critically Endangered, five are Endangered, and two are Vulnerable
These statuses reflect global pressure on a family of animals that reproduce slowly and cannot withstand unsustainable fishing mortality.
🌍 Protecting mantas and devil rays means strengthening fisheries management, reducing bycatch, and ensuring international trade does not continue to erode already fragile populations
📣 Help us advocate for these species, amplify their story, support science-led conservation, and push for stronger protections wherever they are needed!
🔗 Visit our website to learn more about manta and devil rays, the threats they face, and how you can support their conservation (link in bio).
🎨 Marc Dando
📸 (2) Jasmine Corbett
#MantaRays #DevilRays #WorldEndangeredSpeciesDay #MantaTrust
We’re excited to be part of Sharks International 2026 – the world’s largest conference dedicated to sharks, rays, and chimaeras, held every four years and taking place in Asia for the first time!
🤝 Our core team, along with affiliate project leaders from over 16 global projects, collaborators, PhD students, former Ocean Ambassadors, and more, will be joining the wider community across the event.
🙌 We are also proud to contribute to a programme of 45+ Manta Trust affiliated talks and posters spanning manta ray ecology, fisheries interactions, conservation policy, and cutting-edge research tools. These sessions highlight collaborative science and community-driven approaches to protecting manta and devil rays and wider marine ecosystems. The full programme schedule can be found on @sharks.international
📣 In addition, we will be hosting a workshop and side event, with keynote contributions from our founder Dr. Guy Stevens and Mobula Conservation Project leader Dr. Marta Palacios.
🦈 We’re looking forward to connecting with the global shark and ray community, sharing knowledge, and building meaningful collaborations throughout the conference!
#SI2026 #SharksInternational2026 #MantaTrust
WE DID IT - THANK YOU!
💚 A huge thank you to everyone who donated to our campaign, your donations have been doubled, and we have reached our biggest fundraising target ever of, £70,000!
🤝 We extend a special thank you to our esteemed Champion match funder, the Big Give Trust, and our our pledge funders! You support is truly invaluable.
🌊 These funds are critical to sustaining our work. Every contribution helps us reduce targeted catch and bycatch of manta and devil rays, strengthen protections against human pressures like development and pollution, address climate impacts, and engage more people in safeguarding these species and their habitats.
💙 Conservation is only as strong as the support behind it - thank you.
#EarthRaise #BigGive #MantaTrust
One donation. Twice the impact.
📖 A study by Laglbauer et al. (2025) found that manta and devil rays at serious risk, with ~265,000 killed each year, mostly in small-scale fisheries. Urgent action, including stronger protections, fishing bans, and fisher involvement is needed to prevent their extinction.
📉 Global manta and devil ray population decline rates are increasing, suggesting most populations are overfished.
💪 To tackle the greatest global threat to manta and devil rays, targeted catch and retention in non-selective gear, researchers call for stronger protection, better management, and reduced demand.
Did you know can support this?
With just 8% left to reach our match funding target, we’re. In the final push. Your support now will directly fund vital research and conservation efforts for manta and devil rays (link in bio).
✌️The Big Give is a fantastic initiative that will DOUBLE donations made to the Manta Trust as part of Earth Raise, DOUBLING the impact of your gift! Every £1 you donate to our Earth Raise campaign before 29 April will be doubled.
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
📸 Simon Hilbourne & Myanmar Ocean Project
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #MantaTrust #SaveTheMantas
⚠️ Manta Rescue ⚠️
🤿 We spoke with our Global Database Manager, and underwater hero, Clare, who sprang into action after spotting a reef manta ray entangled in an active gillnet.
🌊 This manta ray was ensnared, its left cephalic fin trapped by a rope, and its pelvic fin bound by the net. Clare carefully approached, releasing the rope from the front of the manta ray, allowing it to finally wiggle free and regain its freedom.
🐢 But the rescue didn’t stop there! @travelwithapaddle@clarebara , also went on to release a green turtle from another net further up the reef.
🌏 Let this incredible act of kindness and environmental stewardship inspire us all to protect and preserve our oceans.
🤝 Public support has long been the foundation of the Manta Trust’s work. Support our match funding campaign, Earth Raise, between 22–29 April 2026 and double the impact of your donation to sustain this vital work (link in bio). We only have 10% to go!
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
🎥 Travel With A Paddle
🎞️ Additional Footage: Simon Hilbourne
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #MantaTrust
Can we count on you? – 13% to go!
🌿 The Big Give is a fantastic initiative that will DOUBLE donations made to the Manta Trust as part of Earth Raise , DOUBLING the impact of your gift! 🎁
Every £1 you donate to our Earth Raise campaign before 29 April will be doubled, allowing us to achieve even more. Whether you choose to give £20 or £200, your generosity will have twice the power to drive positive change.
🔗 You can now make a donation via the link in our bio!
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
📸 Marteyne Van Well
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #MantaTrust #SaveTheMantas
On the Brink: Threats Forcing Manta and Devil Rays Toward Extinction
Manta and devil rays are among the most iconic and graceful species in the ocean. With the largest brain-to-body mass ratio of any fish, manta rays are highly intelligent and inquisitive - traits that make encounters with them unforgettable highlights for divers and snorkelers. However, manta populations are in decline globally.
All known species of manta and devil rays are now threatened with extinction. In some regions, populations have collapsed by more than 90%, driven by targeted fishing, the gill plate trade, and the false promise of “sustainable” catch.
💙 Public support has long been the foundation of the Manta Trust’s work. You can be part of the future of manta and devil rays. Donate through our campaign page (link in bio) between 22-29 April, and your gift will be doubled.
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🎥 Where Devils Return is a short documentary following Ana Filipa Sobral and the team behind Manta Catalog Azores, an affiliate project of the Manta Trust, as they document, study, and protect these elusive ocean giants. Using photo-identification, cutting-edge research, and collaboration with local tour operators, they are beginning to understand why these rays return - and why this place is so important.
🔗 Visit the link in our bio to watch the full film ‘Where Devils Return’.
🎥 Produced by @jasminecorbettphoto
🎞️ Second Camera Operator: @leilascheltema Additional Footage: Simon Hilbourne, Open Planet Studios, Silverback Films, Black Box Guild, Danny Copeland
📸 @leilascheltema
🙏 With deep gratitude to Carl F. Bucherer, long-term partners of the Manta Trust, whose support made both the 2025 Azores Devil Ray Research Expedition and this film possible.
#WhereDevilsReturn #DevilRays #Azores #MantaCatalogAzores
🦈 From fishing practices and policy decisions to awareness and financial support, our choices directly influence whether species such as devil rays can survive and recover.
Conservation is not separate from people, it now depends on us.
Support for conservation initiatives enables:
🔬 Continued research
📄 Stronger enforcement of protections
🤝 Sustainable alternatives for communities
🌏 Greater global awareness
In this sense, every action contributes to a wider outcome.
The future of manta and devil rays is not determined only in the ocean, but also by the decisions we make on land.
🫵 You can make a difference today by supporting the Manta Trust. This week, your donation will be doubled through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign – meaning every contribution is matched, doubling your impact.
Support our match-funding campaign, Earth Raise, until 29 April 2026, and make your donation go twice as far. (Link in bio)
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
📸 Jay Clue
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #MantaTrust
Conservation is only as strong as the support behind it - Earth Raise doubles that support.
🤝 In many cases, NGOs provide the capacity and continuity needed to ensure conservation measures are not only designed, but actually delivered.
💙 As government aid budgets shift and funding landscapes become more uncertain, NGOs are increasingly reliant on public support to sustain their work.
⚠️ Without this support, even the strongest conservation frameworks risk falling short.
The Manta Trust and our global affiliate network are working to turn the tide for manta and devil rays. Our mission is to collaborate with projects around the world through research, education, and by providing expert advice to drive the policies and practices necessary to conserve manta rays, their relatives, and habitats. But we cannot do this without your help.
Support our match funding campaign, Earth Raise, between 22–29 April 2026 and double the impact of your donation to sustain this vital work (link in bio).
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
📸 (1,10,11) Leila Scheltema, (2,5,6) Jasmine Corbett & (3,4,7-9) Simon Hilbourne
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #MantaTrust
DOUBLE your impact 22-29 April! (£1 = £2!)
🌍 Make this Earth Day count! Through The Big Give Earth Raise campaign, every donation you make to the Manta Trust between 22–29 April 2026 via our campaign page (link in bio) will be doubled, amplifying your impact and making your support go twice as far.
🤝 With increasing pressure on marine ecosystems and growing financial uncertainty for conservation initiatives, the need for support has never been greater. Match-funding campaigns like Earth Raise create a rare and time-sensitive opportunity to maximise impact - turning individual contributions into meaningful, measurable change.
💙 Your generous support drives The Manta Trust’s work across research, conservation, and education – from studying manta and devil ray populations and their habitats, to protecting vital marine ecosystems through community-led initiatives, to influencing fisheries and conservation policy, and inspiring future ocean stewards through engaging educational programmes. And that’s just the beginning!
🫵 You can make a difference today by supporting the Manta Trust. With the Big Give Earth Raise, your donation will be MATCHED, doubling your impact! (Link in bio)
Every donation, no matter the size, can make a difference! 💙
*Please note – donations will only be doubled if they are made directly through the Big Give Earth Raise campaign page (link in bio), instead of the donation page on our website. The campaign finishes at 12pm (UK time) on the 29th of April. Thank you!
📸 (1) Simon Hilbourne, (2) Guy Stevens, (3) Daniel Fernando, (4) Jasmine Corbett, (5) Joao Rodrigues, (6) Kaitlyn Zerr, Mayuri Chopra, Catarina Fazenda (OMA), Atlantine Boggio-Pasqua, (7) Leila Scheltema & (8) Jay Clue
#EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleTheImpact #EarthDay #MantaTrust
