Manta rays are targeted for their gill plates used in traditional medicine, despite no scientific evidence of efficacy, driving population declines across the Indo-Pacific.
Manta rays caught for gill plates often face prolonged struggles in nets before being hauled aboard. Their large size means death from suffocation can take extended time. Manta rays show signs of cognitive sophistication including mirror self-recognition, suggesting they may have a richer subjective experience than many fish. The trade continues despite both conservation and welfare arguments against it, driven purely by demand for a product with no demonstrated benefit to human health.