And there’s no better example of the financial value of manta encounters to a local economy than the success of Kona, Hawaii.There, the reef manta rays have been studied for more than a decade. Each individual within the resident population has been identified by its characteristic markings and coloration, and the population is known to number around 146.Kona’s dive and snorkel operators earn a combined $3.4 million a year directly from their manta encounters. Hence, each of the identified 146 mantas currently generates $23,288 a year. With a lifespan of forty-plus years, each of those mantas will, over the course of its lifetime, generate $1 million in direct revenue from the manta-encounter excursions alone. This amount doesn’t reflect the mantas’ additional value to the local tourism infrastructure by creating a revenue stream for airfares, hotels, rental cars, taxes, restaurants, employment and so on.From a financial perspective, the manta isn’t just another fish in Hawaiian waters; the ray is an economic benefactor that can legitimately, and accurately, be described as “The Million Dollar Manta.”
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