Hiding in plain sight - oceanic manta rays in New Zealand

They are enormous, highly intelligent and threatened. Vice president of Asia-Pacific Marine Programs at Conservation International Mark Erdmann leads a team of researchers trying to build on our scant knowledge and understanding of oceanic manta rays. Mark's work largely focuses on the management of marine protected areas. Having lived in Indonesia for a couple of decades, he's logged a couple of hundred new species of reef fish. Apart from reef fish his speciality is mantis shrimp, endangered sharks, rays and skate. But he tells Kathryn Ryan, manta rays are his absolute favourite animal of all. Mark is a professional marine biologist of some thirty years. His research work has influenced policy and management decisions, and contributed to the expansion of marine protected areas in West Papua. Sightings of manta rays in New Zealand can be logged here.