Cyclone Grant 2024 Final Update - Mobula Project Indonesia

January 2025

The Mobula Project Indonesia is excited to share new milestones in our ongoing efforts to uncover the secrets of mobula rays and enhance marine conservation in Indonesia. Building on the foundations laid in our earlier expeditions, this year’s program takes a step further by identifying five potential research locations in Sumatra, signalling the project’s growing scope and impact. These key sites include Air Bangis, Pasar Gaung, and Pesisir Selatan in West Sumatra Province, Mana in Bengkulu Province, and Kalianda in Lampung Province. We selected these sites since they are expected to have landings for sharks and rays and new research prospects, enabling us to study the intricacy of the fisheries industry.

The Mobula Project Indonesia team © Jasmine Corbett

A significant partnership with the Graduate School of IPB University has bolstered our research efforts. We are happy to announce that Siti Ainsyah (Ain), an enthusiastic Master’s student in the Management of Coastal and Ocean Resources, has joined our team. Ain has a background of working in the region. She will be tasked with overseeing the research activities in West Sumatra, and for that, she is best suited anywhere. Meanwhile, collaborations are being formalized with Bengkulu University and Lampung Fisheries Polytechnic to oversee activities in Bengkulu and Lampung, respectively. These partnerships reflect our commitment to fostering local capacity and ensuring the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts.

Surveys in Sumatra fish markets © Mobula Project Indonesia

An integrated approach helps appreciate mobula ray populations and their habitats with guided conservation efforts. Such an approach is indispensable, and a permit from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is required before pursuing it. This permit would allow us to do an integrated study across the Java and Sumatra Islands. It would enable us to examine inter-island ecological linkages. A robust scientific supervision is imperative when conducting comprehensive research.

Bentfin devil ray found in a Sumatra fish market © Mobula Project Indonesia — A Mobula Project Indonesia team member collects data on a bentfin devil ray found in a fish market in Indonesia © Jasmine Corbett

Our team recently conducted research in West Sumatra, and it found that local fishers depend on longlines and gillnets. This leads to the assumption that the area is a prominent landing site for sharks and rays since our findings included many small-sized sharks that were most likely juveniles from the Carcharhinidae family. The fishing methods dependent on longlines and gillnets do seem worrying. In addition to the scalloped hammerhead shark which is nearly endangered, we also found the bentfin devil ray in Sumatra. These findings are great pointers for the need to protect vulnerable species as they also showcase plenty of marine biodiversity in the Sumatra region.

If there was no Cyclone Grant, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we have today. Because of this grant, the Mobula Project Indonesia will continue and expand its operations in Sumatra, enabling innovative research and conservation efforts. While addressing the issues and the potential, we also focus on collaboration, building up local communities, and enhancing science in protecting marine resources in Indonesia.

Juvenile hammerhead shark found in a Sumatra fish market © Mobula Project Indonesia

But the journey is still on. With the support of our partners, donors, and team members such as Ain, Indonesia’s Mobula Project must be able to open marine conservation doors. Together, we are paving the way for a dynamic future wherein the oceans of Indonesia can flourish while allowing the people who rely on them to sustain their livelihoods.