World Manta Day

World Manta Day takes place on 17 September. The Manta Trust, a UK charity, describes it as a global celebration of manta and devil rays and a call to action for their protection. The 2025 theme was The Power of Protection.

These rays face growing threats from international trade, overfishing and habitat loss. The Manta Trust says that fishing for their gill plates and meat (gill plates are the parts they use to filter food) remains the main threat.

Their biology makes recovery slow. NOAA Fisheries reports that giant manta rays usually give birth to one pup every two to three years and live at least 45 years. Manta and devil rays are listed under CITES Appendix II, an international rule that allows trade only with permits. Even so, the Manta Trust notes that their numbers continue to fall, and it supports moving them to Appendix I, which would ban all commercial international trade.

Giant mantas feed on zooplankton, tiny drifting animals, and can measure 26 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

If you dive or snorkel with mantas, keep your distance, do not touch them, and choose operators that follow local codes of conduct. Each manta has a unique spot pattern on its belly, so photos shared with research groups can help identify individuals.

From Waste to Wonder at AVALON Artisan Gallery begins with the sea's leftovers: more than 50,000 tonnes of green mussel shells discarded in Thailand each year, reclaimed as MyraShell and MyraGem. Meet Rippled Wing in the Sea Soul collection.