Manta rays are among the ocean's most charismatic megafauna. Protecting their welfare requires addressing gill raker trade, fishing bycatch, and tourism disturbance.
Manta ray welfare is threatened primarily by targeted fishing for gill rakers and incidental bycatch. Targeted manta fishing is intensely cruel — rays are harpooned or netted, often dragged alongside boats for extended periods before being killed. Bycatch entanglement in trawl nets causes drowning, a prolonged and stressful death for large, air-breathing fishes. Manta rays caught and released by sport divers fare better but still experience stress from handling. Tourism disturbance — divers chasing or touching mantas — disrupts natural behaviour and can cause chronic stress in small, site-attached populations. Protecting manta welfare means eliminating targeted fishing, reducing bycatch, and enforcing responsible diving behaviour codes.