Florida suspends licenses for manta ray captures

Florida’s wildlife agency has temporarily suspended licenses that allow aquariums to capture threatened sharks and rays as it weighs permanent changes to its rules, according to a letter made public Friday.

The action follows the controversial capture of a giant manta ray in July for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi near Panama City Beach that outraged some Floridians and sparked concerns from a bipartisan group of state and federal lawmakers.

“We understand both your concerns and those raised by the public following the recent harvest of a giant manta ray,” Rodney Barreto, the chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, wrote in his response to lawmakers.

The agency stopped issuing new licenses on Aug. 19 for the collection of sharks and rays listed under the Endangered Spec