Manta rays are among the most intelligent marine fish, with the largest brain-to-body ratio of any fish. Their welfare is threatened by gill raker trade and irresponsible wildlife tourism.
Manta ray welfare intersects intelligence, economics, and conservation in unusual ways. Their cognitive sophistication means captivity and harassment cause welfare harm disproportionate to what might be expected from a fish. Their economic value alive in tourism dwarfs their value dead in the gill raker trade, creating conservation-welfare alignment. However, irresponsible marine tourism — boats chasing mantas, divers touching them, helicopter surveillance disrupting feeding — causes stress and behavioral disruption that constitutes real welfare harm to these cognitively complex animals.