Manta rays are intelligent, long-lived cartilaginous fish threatened by targeted fishing and bycatch. Responsible manta tourism provides economic alternatives to fishing while raising welfare questions of its own.
Manta ray welfare involves both the acute harms of targeted fishing - gill nets and harpoons - and the subtler welfare implications of tourism pressure. Rays caught in nets experience drowning stress. Those caught for gill plates die slowly after removal. Tourism mantas at high-traffic sites show altered behaviour patterns - reduced time at cleaning stations, flight responses - suggesting chronic low-level stress. Responsible manta tourism with diver codes of conduct, including no touching, no blocking cleaning stations, and distance limits, reduces disturbance while maintaining economic value.