The waters of Komodo and West Manggarai of Indonesia have been designated as a manta ray and shark sanctuary. The designation prohibits fishing for these species as well as other threatened marine life like sea turtles and Napoleon wrasse. The area included in the sanctuary is over 4,000 square miles.

The newly created sanctuary is located at the heart of the Coral Triangle and extends the existing managed area of Komodo National Park. The Coral Triangle is home to some of the world’s richest marine biodiversity, including more than 10 shark species and both oceanic and reef mantas.