Flapnose ray

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Flapnose ray
Rhinoptera javanica.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Rhinopteridae
Genus: Rhinoptera
Species:
R. javanica
Binomial name
Rhinoptera javanica

The flapnose ray or Javanese cownose ray (Rhinoptera javanica) is a species of fish in the family Rhinopteridae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific off China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam and possibly Australia. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, coral reefs, estuarine waters, and coastal saline lagoons.

Contents

Conservation

The Javanese cownose ray's population has undergone alarming declines throughout its range. In various regions, substantial population reductions have been observed, ranging from 50% to 79% over the last three generation lengths (44 years). High exploitation levels and significant declines in elasmobranchs, rays, and whiprays indicate a dire situation. Overfishing, particularly in Chinese and Vietnamese waters, has raised concerns about the species' survival. [2]

Threats

Fishing pressures and overexploitation

The Javanese cownose ray faces extensive fishing pressures, with both targeted and bycatch capture, across the entirety of its range. These pressures originate from various fishing methods, including demersal trawl, purse seines, tangle nets, set nets, gill nets, droplines, longlines, and Danish seine. The rays are often retained for human consumption or processed into fishmeal. [2]

Decline in fish stocks and uverfishing

In specific regions like the northern South China Sea, intense overfishing has led to a drastic decline in fish stocks over the years. The use of modern fishing gear, the increase in the number of fishing vessels, and changes in catch composition have added to this problem. With the demand for seafood on the rise, particularly in countries like China, the pressures on fish stocks are growing. [2]

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a pervasive issue in the Indo-Pacific region. Reported catch figures often represent only a fraction of the actual catch, exacerbating the problem of overfishing and depletion of shark and ray populations. Some marine protected areas (MPAs) are also affected by high levels of IUU fishing. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishery</span> Raising or harvesting fish

Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place. Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both in freshwater waterbodies and the oceans. About 500 million people worldwide are economically dependent on fisheries. 171 million tonnes of fish were produced in 2016, but overfishing is an increasing problem, causing declines in some populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cownose ray</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The cownose ray is a species of Batoidea found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England to southern Brazil. These rays also belong to the order Myliobatiformes, a group that is shared by bat rays, manta rays, and eagle rays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overfishing</span> Removal of a species of fish from water at a rate that the species cannot replenish

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, wetlands, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include: growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, ecosystem overfishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry</span> Economic branch

The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, subsistence and commercial fishing, as well as the related harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors. The commercial activity is aimed at the delivery of fish and other seafood products for human consumption or as input factors in other industrial processes. The livelihood of over 500 million people in developing countries depends directly or indirectly on fisheries and aquaculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seine fishing</span> Method of fishing with a net

Seine fishing is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be deployed from the shore as a beach seine, or from a boat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Marine Fisheries Service</span> Office of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unsustainable fishing methods</span> Fishing methods with expected lowering of fish population

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing</span> International issue

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.

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A factory ship, also known as a fish processing vessel, is a large ocean-going vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Modern factory ships are automated and enlarged versions of the earlier whalers and their use for fishing has grown dramatically. Some factory ships are equipped to serve as a mother ship.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian cownose ray</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry in Russia</span>

The coastline of the Russian Federation is the fourth longest in the world after the coastlines of Canada, Greenland, and Indonesia. The Russian fishing industry has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 7.6 million km2 including access to twelve seas in three oceans, together with the landlocked Caspian Sea and more than two million rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar fusilier</span> Species of fish

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References

  1. Sherman, C.S.; Bin Ali, A.; Bineesh, K.K.; Derrick, D.; Dharmadi, Fahmi, Fernando, D.; Haque, A.B.; Maung, A.; Seyha, L.; Tanay, D.; Utzurrum, J.A.T.; Vo, V.Q.; Yuneni, R.R. (2021). "Rhinoptera javanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T60129A124442197. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T60129A124442197.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Redlist - Javanese Cownose Ray".