overview
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) collaborates with The Sanctuary to gather scientific data on threatened marine species and use it to guide practical, science-based conservation along the Mozambican coastline. Their work combines diver and boat surveys, photo identification, acoustic and satellite tagging, and emerging tools such as environmental DNA to better understand species diversity, residency, movement patterns, and key habitats within Sanctuary waters.
introduction
MMF has worked in the Vilanculos region for over a decade and began formal collaboration with The Sanctuary to expand marine conservation and research capacity. Through structured monitoring and targeted research programmes, MMF documents a wide range of marine life across reefs, sandy habitats, and mangrove channels, including sharks and rays, turtles, cetaceans, billfish, and large reef fish. Priority efforts focus on vulnerable species such as manta rays, whale sharks, and highly threatened rhino rays, and on building the data needed to inform long-term protection, management decisions, and habitat conservation within and around The Sanctuary.
Wedgefish research
Wedgefish and giant guitarfish, collectively known as “rhino rays” are among the most threatened groups of marine species. Unfortunately, these species are vulnerable to overfishing worldwide and are highly sought after for their large dorsal and pectoral fins, and also caught as by-catch in other fisheries.
Rhino rays are rare and very little is known about their biology and ecology, which poses a challenge when designing management and protection plans. At least two different species of wedgefish have been recorded by MMF at deep reefs and shallow sandy habitats in the Sanctuary. Researchers have identified important aggregation sites for critically endangered bottlenose wedgefish and a potential nursery area for the species, all within Sanctuary waters.
In order to better understand wedgefish and gather information on their habitat use, movement patterns and baseline numbers, MMF began a focused wedgefish research project in 2020 with primary study sites located in the Sanctuary. MMF scientists have been monitoring individuals by collecting identification photos of their dorsal spot patterns. They are building a photo-ID database and have identified over 50 individuals (and counting) in the Bazaruto and San Sebastian region, with the aim to assess whether natural markings are stable enough over time to use for individual identification and non-invasive population monitoring.
Environmental DNA (eDNA)
Seawater contains environmental DNA (eDNA) which originates from skin cells or mucus of organisms that are present in the water body. The analysis of eDNA from water samples for biodiversity assessments is an emerging, yet promising, technique that enables the detection of mobile species without direct observation. The ability to identify distinct species in water samples using eDNA techniques enables researchers to gather information about multiple species from small samples of seawater.
In order to investigate the presence and distribution of marine megafauna species throughout Sanctuary waters, MMF researchers have collected >50 water samples from a range of habitats including deep reefs in the open ocean, shallow sandy regions and deep into the mangrove channels. These samples will be analyzed to assess which species can be detected in the different habitats to better understand species diversity, habitat preferences and distribution.
