Malaysia: Fishermen net 5 giant manta rays near Langkawi

New Straits Times 25 Jul 12;

TELUK INTAN: A group of fishermen from Hutan Melintang who were out to sea on Monday were pleasantly surprised when they found five giant manta rays (ikan pari hantu) stuck to their nets along with other fish.

The manta rays weighed 80kg, 120kg, 170kg, 190kg and 200kg, respectively.

The fishermen were in waters near Langkawi about noon when they stumbled upon the whopping catch.

Boat skipper Lim Joo Heng, 43, said this was the first time he had stumbled upon the manta rays.

"The 80kg manta ray is a male while the rest are females. We sold three of the manta rays to a businessman from Bukit Mertajam and one each to wholesalers from Sekinchan and Air Tawar, Perak."