From depths of the ocean to fish market: Silent struggle for manta and devil rays

MANTA and devil rays are among the ocean's most graceful and captivating creatures. With their wide, winglike fins and majestic movements, they glide effortlessly through tropical and subtropical waters, capturing the hearts of divers and ocean lovers around the world. But these iconic animals are increasingly under threat—targeted by global fisheries and caught unintentionally as bycatch.

- BY DANIEL FERNANDO

Sri Lanka is one of the world's hotspots for manta and devil ray landings, where these species are caught in large numbers, especially by tuna gillnet fisheries. These rays belong to the Mobulidae family (subclass Elasmobranchii), and six of the world's nine species are found in Sri Lankan waters: the Oceanic Manta Ray (Mobula birostris), Spinetail Devil Ray (Mobula mobu-lar), Sicklefin Devil Ray (Mobula tarapacana), Bentfin Devil Ray (Mobula thurstoni), Shorthorned Pygmy Devil Ray (Mobula kuhlii), and Longhorned Pygmy Devil Ray (Mobula eregoodoo). All are filter feeders, using their large mouths and gill plates to sieve plankton and small fish from the water.