Figure 1
From: The distribution of manta rays in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the eastern United States
Reported sightings of manta rays (1925–2020) relative to regional landmarks and ocean currents. Sightings from Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS), Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GOMAPPS), Gulf of Mexico Natural Resource Damage Assessment (GOMNRDA) aerial surveys, Mississippi Lab pelagic longline surveys (MS Lab Survey), and Reef Visual Census (RVC) SCUBA-based survey; Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Kajiura Lab aerial elasmobranch surveys, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) staff sightings, boat-based and aerial surveys by trained Florida Manta Project (FMP) staff, Florida State University (FSU) Grubbs Lab elasmobranch gillnet surveys, Georgia Aquarium (GAI) aerial surveys, Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) open-access data, North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC) ship-based and aerial surveys, Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Northeast Observer Program (NEOP) trawl encounters, APEM and Normandeau Associates Aerial Digital Baseline Survey of Marine Wildlife in Support of Offshore Wind Energy for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and verified opportunistic sightings reported to the authors or pulled from social media and news reports. Basemap used with permission from ESRI Ocean Basemap and its partners, showing marine water body names, undersea feature names, and derived depth values in meters. Map generated in ArcMap 10.8.1 (https://support.esri.com/en/products/desktop/arcgis-desktop/arcmap/10-8).
