This is the dramatic moment fishermen leapt into the ocean to sacrifice their own catch and free two endangered giant manta rays that were trapped in their nets. <br /><br />The crew was hauling up the rigs in the early hours of Tuesday (April 30) morning when they noticed the 150kg creatures thrashing around. <br /><br />Captain Thana Ketsaard ordered his workers to leap into the water and help to save the manta rays, which were both around five metres long, and a protected species.<br /><br />The majestic creatures have suffered vast declines over the last eight years due to illegal hunting by trawlers who sell them to be used in soups, mainly in China.<br /><br />But footage shows how the kindhearted workers battled to force down the nets - losing money by sacrificing the day’s catch of hundreds of fish - in order to release the manta rays into the safety of the ocean.<br /><br />The rescue was filmed in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Phang Nga in southern Thailand.<br /><br />Ship owner Thana said: ''The nets were being pulled in after midnight when I saw the two rays stuck inside. There were lots of fish in the nets but my first idea was to release the manta rays.<br /><br />''We need to catch the fish to eat but manta rays are a rare species which we must respect. It is unethical for fisherman to keep them.<br /><br />''Even though we lost some of the fish to free the rays, it is the right thing to do and I hope that it is a good example for other fishermen who are thinking about catching manta rays and selling them.''<br /><br />The giant manta ray is the largest ray in the world and has been targeted by fisheries to the point where it has become an endangered species.