Oceanographic Magazine has partnered with its friends at Finisterre to launch a brand new series of live-audience discussions, bringing critical ocean stories and storytelling to life in branded stores across the UK – and this is your chance to participate.

Called OCEAN TALKS, the series of events will kick off this September 25th at the Finisterre flagship store in London, England where experts in natural history storytelling and ocean conservation will be tackling some of the most pressing issues in the marine environment today.

Rays of Hope: What are we doing to protect our ocean’s gentlest giants will harness the expertise, experience, and insight of some of the ocean’s keenest storytellers and most passionate conservationists to celebrate manta and devil rays alongside the entire cast of charismatic mobulids and elasmobranchs, the new species we are still discovering even today, and the steps we all need to be taking to ensure their protection.

Moderated by Oceanographic’s own Rob Hutchins, the speakers will include natural history storyteller and cameraman, Doug Allan; conservation filmmaker, underwater photographer, and media manager at The Manta Trust, Jasmine Corbett; and artists and ocean conservation photojournalist, Francesca Page.

The event will be held to celebrate World Manta Day (Wednesday, 17th September) while raising awareness for the critical need to protect these vulnerable yet beloved species.

“We’re thrilled to join Oceanographic and Finisterre in celebrating World Manta Day and highlighting this year’s theme” The Power of Protection. With new species still being discovered and threats like overfishing and illegal trade on the rise, the time to strengthen protections for manta and devil rays has never been more critical,” said The Manta Trust’s Jasmine Corbett. 

The sad truth is, despite the protections already in place to safeguard the planet’s manta and devil rays from some of the consequences of human activity, illegal trade still continues. In just a few decades, populations of several species of mobulid have declined by more than 90%. All nine known mobulid species are now threatened while seven of those are endangered.

At the root cause of this, is overfishing.

But this November marks the chance for change, when countries will vote on a proposal to uplist all mobulid rays to the highest level of protection available. 

“This November, governments will gather at CITES COP20 to decide whether these magnificent species should be listed under Appendix I – the highest level of protection under international law,’ said Corbett. “If approved, international commercial trade would be banned worldwide, giving manta and devil rays a genuine chance at survival.”

To be a part of the discussion, visit the Oceanographic event page, Rays of Hope and book your place to this London event now. Doors open at 7pm on Thursday, 25th September.