Florida tightens rules on capturing giant manta rays but stops short of full ban

Wildlife officials in Florida will continue to allow threatened giant manta rays to be taken from the ocean, but have tightened their policies after a viral video showed a captured ray in severe distress, and a bipartisan group of politicians called for an end to the controversial practice. Members of the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) voted on Wednesday to adopt an amended final rule reserving the right to say when and where rays can be captured for “responsible exhibition” in the US. The 18 politicians, including the Republican congressman Brian Mast, Democratic state senator Jason Pizzo, and Florida house and senate members from both parties, had pressed for an outright ban. “By continuing to permit manta ray capture, the commission prioritizes the interests of the captive marine animal entertainment industry over the protection of a threatened species,” they wrote to the FWC chair, Rodney Barreto, and other panel members earlier this month. Their outrage was provoked by a video posted to social media last summer by a tour boat captain in Panama City Beach, who watched five men roughly hauling an upside-down ray in a net on to an unmarked private boat. The capture was authorized by a “special activity license” (SAL) issued by the FWC, and the ray destined for display at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. …