In case you’re in Jervis Bay and see any individual knee deep surrounded by rays or alternatively sitting observing rays for hours on end then chances are you are wanting on the “mother of rays” in another case typically referred to as Joni – the driving drive behind the Stingray Diaries. She’s studying straightforward stingrays all by way of the Jervis Bay Marine park, alongside facet Fisheries NSW and affords us a rundown on her evaluation in her customer weblog beneath…
Prime shelf bottom feeders
Finding out to swim by getting thrown off the highest of a busy public wharf on the Hawkesbury River in nothing nonetheless a pair of scorching pink floaties… Dwelling in a swimsuit and lined in sand every single day of the yr… Chucking tantrums when knowledgeable to return inside after participating in on the seaside all day on account of it was darkish… On the age of 4, saying with good certainty, “Mum, as soon as I develop up I’m going to be a Marine Biologist.”
My establish is Joni, and this little water-baby was, and nearly nonetheless is, me. Right this moment I am merely as loads a thalassophile as I was once more then, nonetheless now I get to actually look at the creatures that keep in our oceans. I am a Masters of Evaluation candidate at Macquarie School in the BEEF Lab, working beneath A/Prof Culum Brown. I also have a Masters of Marine Science and Administration and a Bachelors of Marine Science (Biology) beneath my belt…so I suppose you would possibly say I was pretty essential once more in ‘94.
I am throughout the conservation biology of sharks and rays. My goal is to get people as fascinated with these species as I am and try and fill the important data gaps referring to the important biology and life histories of these misunderstood and poorly studied animals.
In the intervening time, I am studying the actions, behaviour and social networks of short-tail stingrays (Bathytoshia brevicaudata) in Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia. I really feel short-tail stingrays are the gr-RAY-test. They’re an important species of marine stingray, rising to over 2.2m huge and 350kg… Yep, you be taught that correct. They’re extraordinarily docile, nonetheless they aren’t with out their defences. They’re typically packing as a lot as 2 serrated barbs that may perhaps destroy your day do you must arise shut and personal with one amongst them. Check out this girls’ weaponry:
Fast-tail stingrays are literally widespread in shallow, coastal areas alongside the southern coast of Australia, along with New Zealand and South Africa. In case you dive or snorkel typically, you might have likely even seen one. Surprisingly though, everyone knows almost nothing about them. Important data gaps exist referring to their actions all by way of their differ and some of their basic life historic previous, significantly with regard to repeat.
In Jervis Bay there was a 30 yr historic previous of short-tail stingrays coming to a ship ramp throughout the house to feed on fish scraps discarded by fishermen. Up to now, no analysis of the behavioural and ecological implications of this phenomenon has been made. That’s what I am proper right here to do.
You would possibly suppose, “The stingrays have a reasonably entire lot there though… Why must we care?” Properly, any human train that has the potential to have an effect on any aspect of 1 different species biology, ecology, behaviour or environment must be appropriately assessed to verify any harmful impacts are acknowledged and appropriately mitigated or managed.
Some vital impacts to stingray behaviour have been well-known in areas the place stingray feeding is a extraordinarily well-liked tourism attraction. These embrace Moorea, French Polynesia, Stingray Metropolis, Cayman Islands and Hamelin Bay, Western Australia. The impacts have included modifications to pure behaviours, akin to reversed diel actions and unnatural grouping, elevated tolerance to folks leading to elevated menace to stingrays and most of the people, elevated aggression within the path of conspecifics and folk, improper vitamin and overfeeding, nicely being implications, elevated parasite a whole bunch and transmission, modifications to inhabitants development and trophic stability, along with water fouling from further fish scraps entering into the system.
Stingray Metropolis, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Now, I do know what you’re pondering… a few stingrays hoovering up some scraps they happen all through in Jervis Bay isn’t truly a comparability to the above examples, correct? Properly, the short-tail stingrays in Jervis Bay current a really cool various to analysis this phenomenon on the earliest phases. Other than the Moorea stingrays, the above examples plus completely different unstudied occurrences have stemmed from the stingrays finding out the affiliation between boats and fishermen discarding fish scraps throughout the shallows and a free meal. It appear that that’s what’s going on in Jervis Bay.
My evaluation contains assessing the hyperlinks between stingray visitation to the provisioning web site (who’s visiting and the way in which often?), the amount of fish cleaning occurring (how loads free meals are they getting?) and the depth of cruising train (are they using boats as a cue for his or her subsequent free meal?).
We’re in the meanwhile inviting the locals and company of Jervis Bay to turn out to be concerned on this evaluation. We’re asking for anyone who sees, or thinks they’ve seen, a short-tail stingray in Jervis Bay or surrounds to report it to us. In case you do see one, take note of the place you seen it and at what time, what it was doing and any distinguishing marks. In case you may, snap {a photograph} to ship through to us too. You could be taught further about what to seek for and the way one can help proper right here.
These data will give us an excellent greater picture of what areas the rays are using all by way of the bay. Ultimately, we hope to utilize this information to acoustically observe plenty of short-tail stingrays, providing us with information on seasonal tendencies of movement, potential diel actions and clarify key habitats throughout the bay for this species.
If you wish to turn out to be concerned on this evaluation, head over to the problem website.
You’ll be able to even adjust to myself, along with our lab and completely different evaluation on Fb and Twitter.
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