14 September 2006
£6 reward for tagged ray information
A £6 reward is being offered to anyone who reports the vital statistics on any tagged ray. The fish have been tagged with bright yellow circular tags, by trained individuals, in order that the Fisheries department can have a better understanding of the biology of the fish and marine resources generally around Jersey.
Anyone who catches, or comes across, a ray with a bright yellow circular tag in the wing of the fish is asked to return the tag, together with information about the place and date of capture of the fish and its length, to either the Department of the Environment in Jersey or to CEFAS (Centre for Environmental, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) in Lowestoft, UK. A £6.00 reward is offered for receipt of the tag and this information.
Jersey waters play host to a number of ray species and the Fisheries and Marine Resources Panel has agreed to investigate the species found locally in more detail by conducting a research project in conjunction with ray experts from CEFAS. Tagging started on the 7th September and will continue throughout the autumn. A number of small-eyed, blonde and undulate rays will be tagged with equipment supplied by CEFAS in the internationally accepted way. It will be done by Department staff, a charter boat skipper and other fishermen who have been trained to tag rays by a CEFAS expert.
Rays are slow growing and some produce only a few, potentially as little as 70-80, young each year. They either lay egg pouches or are viviparous – give birth to live young. Rays are therefore more susceptible to over-exploitation, but surprisingly little is known of their biology when compared to other common fish species, something this study hopes to reverse.
gov.je