Globally, the meat of manta and devil rays is eaten locally in at least 35 countries and exported from 10, according to a new scientific paper.
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The global assessment of gill plate and meat trade of manta and devil rays (mobulids) ranks 75 countries from highest to lowest impact. The findings were published in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes.
“For me, the most striking findings were the sheer number of countries involved in landing mobula and the widespread consumption of their meat,” says lead author Marta D. Palacios.
Manta rays and devil rays (collectively known as mobulids) are closely related to all sharks and rays. These gentle beings live in tropical and sub-tropical oceans and feed on plankton, which they filter from the water. “They’re considered the most intelligent fish in the ocean,” says Palacios. “When you’re diving or snorkelling with them, you can feel their curiosity.”
Mobulids are among the most threatened elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), so understanding the meat and gill trade is important for their conservation. That’s why the experts from the Manta Trust wanted to gather in-depth information about their global trade.
“Our team spent months tracking down contacts, reaching out to experts, conducting interviews, creating and disseminating online surveys, and mining open-source databases and publications,” says co-author Guy Stevens, founder of the Manta Trust.
"This helped us gather really detailed insights,” added Palacios.
The researchers reviewed 75 countries and found that mobulids are caught in 43. Mobulid meat is consumed locally in at least 35 countries and exported from 10, while gill plates are extracted in 14 countries and exported from at least 14 across Asia and Africa.
The findings highlight 14 priority countries where action is most needed to protect these animals. These included Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Senegal, Republic of Congo, United Arab Emirates, Peru, China, Philippines, Ghana, Thailand and Gabon.
This study is the first to review the global trade and consumption of mobulid meat and gill plates since these animals were listed under CITES Appendix II – a list of species whose trade must be controlled to protect them from extinction risk. Manta rays were listed in 2014 and devil rays were added in 2017.
“A decade since the first legislation to regulate international trade in these endangered species was passed, the trade in these species has not reduced, but actually increased,” says Stevens.
“Conservation is an evolving process and protections on paper don't always have the desired impact,” he says. “The results suggest the current protections are not working.”
Through this study, the team aimed to fully understand the scale of the problem. They recommend protecting these enigmatic rays by improving fisheries management, regulating the international trade of mobulid body parts, improving national species protections, preserving key habitats and mitigating the climate crisis.
“As manta and devil ray populations continue to decline,” says Stevens, “there is clearly an urgent need to further regulate the unsustainable consumption and trade in these species.”
Main image: Mobula at sunrise, Sri Lanka, 2024/Simon Hilbourne
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