World traveler and marine biologist Jessica Pate dives into what it takes to pursue her dream project: studying manta rays. From the hills (literally Chapel Hill) of North Carolina, to studying sea turtles on Costa Rican, Florida, and Ghana beaches, this scientist found her calling in the nearshore waters of Palm Beach County in the form of a large, winged marine animal. In this episode, we discuss the merits of graduate degrees, teaching marine biology on a sailboat and, how you can help with manta research.
Connect with Jessica on Facebook
Quick Links
UNC Chapel Hill
Ecological Associates, Inc
Marine Megafauna Foundation of the Americas
Reef Manta Ray (Manta alfredi)
Oceanic Manta Ray (Manta birostris)
Show Notes
(these are abbreviated answers, for the full color, check out the episode!
SWT: Are you dive certified? To what Level?
JP: I’m actually a scuba instructor, which was my plan C.
SWT: What inspired you to become a Marine Biologist?
JP: I’ve always been interested in science, but the first time I went diving, I was hooked!
SWT: What’s your favorite field story?
JP: Well I kind of have a weird one. I was in Ghana doing sea turtle research. I a lot of our work took place at night, and I was out with one of the locals, Joe. We came across this fire with people and one of them started walking towards us. Joe starting yelling “Jessica DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!” so I did. When we were out of the area, he told me that if that guy had approached us, he would have taken me back to the fire and forced me to eat the goat. If I ate the goat, I would then be apart of their village, never allowed to leave and would have to wear the same clothes that they found me in everyday.
Joe was from a different village, so that probably had something to do with the story, but when you’re on the beach at night and someone tells you a creepy story like that you tend to listen.
Moral of the story: Don’t Eat the Goat!
SWT: What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on? Can be past or present.
JP: Well, not to brag, but I love the one I’m working on now. I’ve created a Manta Program in Palm Beach County where we go out and study mantas. I’ve teamed up with Andrea Marshall and Marine Megafauna Foundation and we’ve created Marine Megafauna Foundation of the Americas.
SWT: Why did you choose to go to grad school?
JP: I had been doing sea turtle work for a few years, and kept finding myself in the private consulting industry. It wasn’t something that I was truly passionate about, but most of the jobs that interested me required a master’s degree. That’s what led to me pursue the higher level of education.
For grad school, I was also a TA (teaching assistant). This was the part I was most nervous about – getting up in front of students- but it ended up being my favorite part. When I graduated, I found a job that combined traveling, marine biology, and teaching with Sea|Mester and took it! It was an incredible experience traveling around the Caribbean on a sailboat and being able to teach Marine Biology.
SWT: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a marine biologist?
JP: Be marketable! Some good traits are to get your captain’s license, or learn how to fix a boat engine! I would love to know how to do this, it would save me a lot of frustration and money!
SWT: How do you identify a manta ray?
JP: All mantas have a unique spot pattern on their ventral side (on their bellies). The pattern is like a fingerprint – no two are alike. We keep a database of all the mantas that we see, and that’s how we can learn their patterns, through repeated visits. The database we use is manta matcher, and the best part is that anyone can contribute! If you’d like to be a citizen scientist, we just need a good photo or video of the underside of a manta and it can be added to our database.
SWT: What’s your favorite part about your job?
JP: Developing questions and then going out and finding the answers to them. It’s truly science.
SWT: What is your favorite sea creature? JP: Mantas! Besides marine mammals (dolphins, whales) there’s really not many other sea creatures that have the same charisma or intelligence. They’re just amazing.
9 thoughts on “Manta Ray Research and Don’t Eat the Goat! with Jessica Pate”
My main question is what bachelors degree to get in a place where marine science degrees aren’t available to earn. I live in Rochester NY.
Hi Asher,
Great question! A degree in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, or something similar will serve you well when pursuing either further education or jobs in the marine science field.
Thank you so much I’m thinking about starting college and I’ve been wondering about that and couldn’t really find answers searching online
This was a great episode. I love Mantas. I was swimming in Byron Bay in Australia one afternoon when a group of them came right up to where I was. It was unusual because The other large Mantas That I have seen are typically black and white. Some of these were grey like a shark. I initially thought it was a shark at first. I’m not scared much of the ocean so I stayed in and it was a magical experience.
I learned from your episode that sometimes you have to seek avenues for careers where you can be more employable and more dependable for various different circumstances. Thanks for the tip.
Sea you later!
Nick 🦘🐬
Thanks for weighing in! Sounds like an incredible ray interaction you had. Such a good takeaway you gleaned from the episode!
Loved the episode and this podcast! I’m currently studying a bachelors in Ecology and Biodiversity in South Africa and am extremely passionate about the ocean. I got my rescue diver certification in sodwana bay in 2018 when I volunteered and acted as a citizen scientist, logging megafauna like turtles, potato bass, mantas and whale sharks. The organization was called Work Travel South Africa and I really think it would be worth your time to contact them and see if you could gave access to their database.. I not sure if it is currently public.
Thanks for sharing your story! Sodwana is an incredible diving spot. We’ll look into Work Travel South Africa. Thanks for the tip!
Hello, I found this episode really cool and insightful:)
I was happy to hear about my country Mozambique towards the end it’s good place to volunteer for Manta Rays!
After I searched the internet to learn more about the volunteering, I was shocked to find prices ranging from 2000€ to 6000€ – excluding the flights – for about 3 weeks of volunteering. I’ve volunteered before with baby sea turtles in North Cyprus, for a month where the cost of life is higher than Mozambique and we only paid a 500€ fee for the electricity, water and national park… Are these prices normal, or is it some sort of voluntourism? I’ve linked the project below for reference. It’s heartbreaking because of course Mozambicans will never be able to partake in such projects.
https://conservationtravelafrica.org/volunteering-in-africa/marine-conservation-programmes/marine-conservation-mozambique/
Hi Myriam,
Yes, these prices are normal. There are programs that are less expensive, and some programs are better than others. It takes some research to figure out what’s worth it!