Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
Finally: Proposed Rules to regulate the Manta Ray Tourism
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This Thursday 02/23/2023, the first public hearing to regulate the manta ray industry along the Kona Coast in Hawaii is taking place, and it would help the manta rays tremendously if you can submit testimony in support of it.
If you have been to Kona and joined any of the activity providers that offer the manta ray tours, you most likely have wondered why so many people and boats are allowed at the viewing sites. Or, you are in the planning stages and feel overwhelmed by almost 70 activity providers offering the trips.
There is a lot of history to this unique night ocean activity, so I sat down and recorded a 15-minute video to explain the timeline on why it took over 9 years to reach this regulatory step. I also reviewed the proposed rules, and explained one revision I would like to see.
Most tragically, a crew member lost her life last year because almost a decade went by without regulations. Of course, I am glad the public hearing is tomorrow.
I truly hope that you have a few minutes to check out all resources I put together in this blog post.
Your call to action is simply:
Email your testimony of why you believe you want the manta tour businesses regulated to this email address: dlnr.harreview@hawaii.gov
To help getting the ball rolling, I prepared sample text for you. You can find it here.
Let’s be the voice for the voiceless gentle giants.
I appreciate your effort.
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Aloha, Martina |
PS: I apologize for sending this on short-notice, but this should not stop you from taking action. Simply email above address, even if you read this email a couple days too late.
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Martina Wing
Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
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