Skip to content

In the Moonlight

Regular price $50.00

Shipping calculated at checkout

Out of stock

Spend $200 to get free shipping

Print Details

In the Moonlight by Brad Klausen

Limited Edition of 50 (signed & numbered) 

6-color screen print with metallic highlights on 100lb Cougar White paper

24" x 16.25" with a small 0.2" white border

Printed by DL Screenprinting

Species of the month


Photography by Wendy Capili Wilkie


Photograph by Tre' Packard 

Species: Reef Manta Ray (Manta Alfredi) / Giant Oceanic Manta Ray (Manta Birostris) 
Family: Myliobatidae
Conservation Status: Threatened - Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)

Manta rays are some of the most fascinating creatures that live in our oceans. With the largest brain of all fish, their intelligence and curiosity make interactions with these animals an amazing experience. The magnificent and gentle manta rays, cousins of the shark, are filter feeders (meaning they feed on plankton, fish larvae and the like that they strain from the water passing through their mouths and out their gills as they swim).

Several aspects of the lives of mantas remain a mystery with little of their ecology understood. Of great concern, human consumption for these animals has developed in recent years, with devastating effects on manta populations worldwide. Demand for the gills of manta and mobula rays has risen dramatically in the past 10 years for use in traditional Chinese medicine although historically they were not used for this purpose. None of these purported medical claims are supported by science nor are they supported by traditional Chinese medicine texts. Researchers found that the gill raker trade is conducted by the same networks responsible for thedevastating trade in shark fins, which have turned to rays for additional profits asworldwide shark populations decline.

Manta rays are so popular within the scuba diving industry that a single animal can generate more than US$ 1 million for tourism over its lifespan, according to a new report issued by the Manta Ray of Hope project.

2013 marks a critical year for the future protection of Manta rays. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) will host its 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand to review implementation and, if necessary, to amend the list of species in Appendices I and II (see below).

CITES has 176 parties and regulates international trade in about 30,000 endangered species of wild fauna and flora. These species are listed in three different Appendices (Appendix I, II and III), according to the degree of protection they need. Ten Elasmobranch species including the Reef Manta Ray (Manta Alfredi) and the Giant Oceanic Manta Ray (Manta Birostris) have been recommended for Appendix II of the 2013 convention.

Appendix I
Lists species which are threatened with extinction. The trade is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II
Lists species which are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but the trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

Appendix III
Lists species which are protected in at least one country. Other CITES Parties have been asked for assistance in controlling the trade.

You can help save Manta and Mobula Rays

1. Donate to organizations working to raise awareness such as PangeaSeed, and those researching in the field such as Manta Ray of HopeManta Trust etc. 

2. Advocate global and regional action to protect manta and mobula rays.

3. Recommend ecotourism and dive with manta rays. This offers sustainable monetary alternatives to fishing.

4. Think twice before you buy. Do not consume manta or mobula ray parts such as Peng Yu Sai.

5. Educate yourself, friend and family on the issues facing manta rays and other endangered ocean animals. Act NOW if we wish to save our seas.

The Story behind In the Moonlight

Brad Klausen

Back to top