First records of the sicklefin (Mobula tarapacana), bentfin (Mobula thurstoni), and spinetail (Mobula mobular) devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago.

Recent encounters with sicklefin (Mobula tarapacana) and bentfin (Mobula thurstoni) devil rays in the Chagos Archipelago provide the first confirmed observations of live specimens of these species in this region. Examination of illegal fishing photo archives collected during enforcement revealed these endangered species, and spinetail devil rays (Mobula mobular), are being caught within the archipelago's vast no-take marine protected area. Future cooperation between authorities and mobulid ray experts is crucial to improve the availability and accuracy of enforcement data and improve management of illegal fishing and mobulid ray conservation activities.

Environmental drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns to key aggregation habitats in the Maldives.

A detailed understanding of the dynamics of small-scale (10s km) habitat use by the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) in the Maldives Archipelago is required to develop an effective national conservation management plan for this wide-ranging species. Here, a combination of photo-ID sightings data and acoustic telemetry were used to investigate both long-term M. alfredi visitation trends and small-scale movement patterns to key habitats on the eastern side of Baa Atoll (Hanifaru Bay feeding area, Dhigu Thila multifunctional site, and Nelivaru Thila cleaning station). All tagged and most of the sighted M. alfredi exhibited high affinity to the eastern side of Baa Atoll, where 99% of detections occurred, and 69% of individuals were re-sighted in multiple years. Sightings data suggests that visitation patterns may be associated with differences in habitat use by sex and maturity status. Boosted regression trees indicated that tag detection probability at Hanifaru Bay increased with increased westerly wind speed (>5ms-1) during the day, close to a new and full moon just after high tide, and when the tidal range was low. Interaction effects between predictors suggest that wind-driven oceanographic processes, such as Langmuir Circulation, maybe working to increase zooplankton concentration at this location. Tag detection probability increased at Dhigu Thila under similar conditions. At Nelivaru Thila, it increased at lower wind speeds (<5ms-1), close to a full moon, three hours after high tide. These results suggest that M. alfredi may utilise cleaning stations during the day when environmental conditions are not suitable for feeding. There was a high level of connectivity between these three locations, which suggests they form part of a network of key habitats that provide essential services to M. alfredi locally. Future conservation efforts should focus on identifying all areas of key habitat use for this species within the Maldives; applying strict protective measures to these sites and any connecting migration corridors which link them.

Fine-scale oceanographic drivers of reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) visitation patterns at a feeding aggregation site.

Globally, reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) are in decline and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and disturbance at aggregation sites. Here, passive acoustic telemetry and a suite of advanced oceanographic technologies were used for the first time to investigate the fine-scale (5-min) influence of oceanographic drivers on the visitation patterns of 19 tagged M. alfredi to a feeding aggregation site at Egmont Atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. Boosted regression trees indicate that tag detection probability increased with the intrusion of cold-water bores propagating up the atoll slope through the narrow lagoon inlet during flood tide, potentially transporting zooplankton from the thermocline. Tag detection probability also increased with warmer near-surface temperature close to low tide, with near-surface currents flowing offshore, and with high levels of backscatter (a proxy of zooplankton biomass). These combinations of processes support the proposition that zooplankton carried from the thermocline into the lagoon during the flood may be pumped back out through the narrow inlet during an ebb tide. These conditions provide temporally limited feeding opportunities for M. alfredi, which are tied on the tides. Results also provide some evidence of the presence of Langmuir Circulation, which transports and concentrates zooplankton, and may partly explain why M. alfredi occasionally remained at the feeding location for longer than that two hours. Identification of these correlations provides unique insight into the dynamic synthesis of fine-scale oceanographic processes which are likely to influence the foraging ecology of M. alfredi at Egmont Atoll, and elsewhere throughout their range.

A hitchhiker guide to manta rays: Patterns of association between Mobula alfredi, M. birostris, their symbionts, and other fishes in the Maldives.

Despite being among the largest and most charismatic species in the marine environment, considerable gaps remain in our understanding of the behavioural ecology of manta rays (Mobula alfredi, M. birostris). Manta rays are often sighted in association with an array of smaller hitchhiker fish species, which utilise their hosts as a sanctuary for shelter, protection, and the sustenance they provide. Species interactions, rather than the species at the individual level, determine the ecological processes that drive community dynamics, support biodiversity and ecosystem health. Thus, understanding the associations within marine communities is critical to implementing effective conservation and management. However, the underlying patterns between manta rays, their symbionts, and other hitchhiker species remain elusive. Here, we explore the spatial and temporal variation in hitchhiker presence with M. alfredi and M. birostris throughout the Maldives and investigate the factors which may influence association using generalised linear mixed effects models (GLMM). For the first time, associations between M. alfredi and M. birostris with hitchhiker species other than those belonging to the family Echeneidae are described. A variation in the species of hitchhiker associated with M. alfredi and M. birostris was identified, with sharksucker remora (Echeneis naucrates) and giant remora (Remora remora) being the most common, respectively. Spatiotemporal variation in the presence of manta rays was identified as a driver for the occurrence of ephemeral hitchhiker associations. Near-term pregnant female M. alfredi, and M. alfredi at cleaning stations, had the highest likelihood of an association with adult E. naucrates. Juvenile E. naucrates were more likely to be associated with juvenile M. alfredi, and a seasonal trend in E. naucrates host association was identified. Remora were most likely to be present with female M. birostris, and a mean number of 1.5 ± 0.5 R. remora were observed per M. birostris. It is hoped these initial findings will serve as the basis for future work into the complex relationships between manta rays and their hitchhikers.

North Carolina dental hygiene students' opinions about tobacco cessation education and practices in their programs.

Inadequate training in tobacco cessation counseling (TCC) is a recognized, but mutable, barrier to implementation of tobacco cessation education (TCE) and intervention strategies in dental practice. The objective of this study was to identify the opinions and practices of senior dental hygiene (DH) students in North Carolina regarding their didactic training in TCE and integration of TCE into their clinical curricula. A pilot-tested questionnaire designed by the authors was administered to a cross-sectional, non-random convenience sample of 241 graduating senior DH students enrolled in all twelve North Carolina DH educational programs. Response rate was 65 percent (n=156). Of the respondents, 99 percent agreed that hygienists should be trained to provide TCE. Nearly all respondents (99 percent) had one or more patients who smoked, and 81 percent had one or more patients who used spit tobacco. Eighty-nine percent had one or more patients who had expressed a desire to quit. Most students were comfortable providing TCC to both smokers (92 percent) and spit tobacco users (93 percent); however, 26 percent reported that they were not comfortable providing quit messages to patients unwilling to quit. Enhancements to TCE in DH curricula may increase hygienists' incorporation of TCE into their future practice.