World's Largest Manta Ray Sanctuary

Credit: National Geographic

Indonesia has some of the largest manta ray fisheries in the world which support the traditional medicine trade. To help curb recent declines in manta ray populations the Indonesian government is banning the fishing of manta rays within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).


This designates roughly 2.3 million square miles, or 6 million square kilometers, as protected for two manta ray species, the reef manta (Manta alfredi) and the oceanic manta (Manta birostris) that inhabit Indonesia's EEZ.

The decision to protect the manta rays was influenced by a 2013 study in PLoS ONE, that compared the economic values of manta ray tourism and manta ray fisheries. Results from the study discovered that the value of a single manta ray in Yap of the south Pacific (with one of the oldest manta ray tourist industry) is almost $2 million over the rays lifetime, versus the $40 to $200 a manta ray is sold for in fish markets in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

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