Global manta and devil ray population declines: Closing policy and management gaps to reduce fisheries mortality

Significant progress has been made in advancing priority actions to conserve manta and devil rays, yet implementation and enforcement of protective measures often fall short, leaving most mobulid populations at risk of overfishing. Drawing on a literature review, fisheries databases, agency reports, and expert interviews, we assess global trends in mobulid catch and mortality. We examine both targeted and incidental catch, in small (<15m, ‘SV’) and large (>15m, ‘LV’) vessel fisheries to identify hotspots with the highest risk of fisheries-related mortality and population decline. We estimate global fisheries catch 264,520 (184,407 – 344,987) mobulids per year, with SV fisheries accounting for 87% of global mortality. The highest-risk hotspots, based on mortality and declines, are located in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Peru, and Myanmar. Mobulid retention is driven by demand, with higher mortality rates observed in countries exporting gill plates, and to a lesser extent, in those trading meat domestically or internationally. We recommend urgent implementation and enforcement of mobulid listings under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and national protective measures, including (i) uplisting mobulids to CITES Appendix I, (ii) full legislative protection for all mobulid species in high-risk fishing nations to reduce demand, (iii) avoiding fishing in critical habitats through permanent or temporary targeted area closures, or management, (iv) limiting drift gillnet effort, and (v) involving fishers in management decisions and implementation.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Biological Conservation
Published
2025-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111589
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Ichthyology and Marine Biology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.31
Controls
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article

Global manta and devil ray population declines: Closing policy and management gaps to reduce fisheries mortality

Thanda Ko Gyi, Nayara Bucair, Don Croll, Godefroy De Bruyne et al.
1 citations
Biological Conservation
Ichthyology and Marine Biology
2.31
article

Global manta and devil ray population declines: Closing policy and management gaps to reduce fisheries mortality

Thanda Ko Gyi, Nayara Bucair, Don Croll, Godefroy De Bruyne, Hilário Murua, Rima W. Jabado, Sara Rojas, Karen Fuentes, Divya Karnad, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Olga Koubrak, Daniel Fernando, Emily Humble, Juan Carlos Pérez‐Jiménez, Nuno Barros, Nidhi G. D’Costa, Julia M. Lawson, Joanna L. Harris, Issah Seidu, Joshua D. Stewart, Jefferson Murua, Guy M. W. Stevens, Betty J. L. Laglbauer, Jeannie Johnson, Marta D. Palacios, Fahmi Fahmi, Ellen Barrowclift, Keith Davies, Joshua M. Rambahiniarison, Aristide Takoukam Kamla, Melissa R. Cronin, Nerea Lezama‐Ochoa, Alifa Bintha Haque, Asia O. Armstrong, Mayuri Chopra, Luis A. Zambrano-Vizquel, Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Muhammad Salim, Rebecca Carter, Sarah Fowler, Ghofrane Labyedh
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in advancing priority actions to conserve manta and devil rays, yet implementation and enforcement of protective measures often fall short, leaving most mobulid populations at risk of overfishing. Drawing on a literature review, fisheries databases, agency reports, and expert interviews, we assess global trends in mobulid catch and mortality. We examine both targeted and incidental catch, in small (<15m, ‘SV’) and large (>15m, ‘LV’) vessel fisheries to identify hotspots with the highest risk of fisheries-related mortality and population decline. We estimate global fisheries catch 264,520 (184,407 – 344,987) mobulids per year, with SV fisheries accounting for 87% of global mortality. The highest-risk hotspots, based on mortality and declines, are located in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Peru, and Myanmar. Mobulid retention is driven by demand, with higher mortality rates observed in countries exporting gill plates, and to a lesser extent, in those trading meat domestically or internationally. We recommend urgent implementation and enforcement of mobulid listings under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and national protective measures, including (i) uplisting mobulids to CITES Appendix I, (ii) full legislative protection for all mobulid species in high-risk fishing nations to reduce demand, (iii) avoiding fishing in critical habitats through permanent or temporary targeted area closures, or management, (iv) limiting drift gillnet effort, and (v) involving fishers in management decisions and implementation.

Biological ConservationVol. 313
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Ichthyology and Marine Biology
2.31
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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