Although there is no direct fishery for giant devilrays, high mortality rates are reported for this species from accidental takes in swordfish pelagic driftnets in the Mediterranean (Muñoz-Chàpuli et al. 1994), to unsustainable levels. Giant devilrays are also accidentally captured in longlines, purse seines, trawls (Bauchot 1987), and fixed traditional tuna traps ?tonnare?. They are also occasionally caught as bycatch in the western central Ligurian Sea, where long line catches have been monitored since 1999, especially from the harbours of Imperia and Sanremo. Devilray bycatch in the Ligurian Sea is always discarded (Orsi Relini et al. 1999).

The extent of influence of Mediterranean habitat degradation on giant devilrays is unknown. Given their low position in the trophic web, high levels of contamination from organochlorine compounds or trace elements are unlikely. However, their epipelagic habits make devilrays particularly vulnerable to oil spills and to disturbance from high levels of maritime traffic.