Manta rays face welfare threats from gill plate fishing and increasingly from poorly managed wildlife tourism that disturbs feeding and cleaning behavior.
Mantas caught for gill plate harvest are typically taken in nets or on hooks, suffering the distress of capture, surface exposure, and slow death. The trade drives population declines that affect individual welfare by reducing social encounter opportunities in this surprisingly social species. Tourism-based disturbance at cleaning stations interrupts behavior where cleaner fish remove parasites essential for manta health - forcing mantas to leave stations means continued parasite burden. Boats that chase or surround mantas for tourist viewing create acute stress that disrupts feeding and breeding aggregations. Well-managed manta tourism with appropriate approach guidelines provides conservation funding without welfare compromise.