Hatched Endangered Ray Released into the Sea in Greece

The tiny ray is being released. Credit: iSea

A important milestone for marine conservation successful Greece was achieved with the palmy hatching and merchandise of a tiny ray into the sea. This marks the first-ever hatching of a ray successful an aquarium successful Greece and is lone the 2nd recorded hatching of the turbot (a susceptible ray species) successful a controlled situation crossed the full Mediterranean.

The accomplishment is portion of the ongoing Thermaikos Biodiversity Project, a collaborative effort betwixt the biology enactment iSea and the Sani/Ikos Group.

Ray taxon astatine hazard of extinction successful Greece’s waters

Nearly fractional of Greece’s ray taxon are listed arsenic being astatine risk of extinction, chiefly owed to accidental entanglement successful sportfishing gear. Ray ovum capsules often extremity up successful nets, wherever the embryos person nary accidental of survival.

The task straight addresses this contented done a collaborative rescue effort:

• Collection: Fishermen from Halkidiki and the Thracian Sea safely cod entangled ray ovum capsules from their nets.
• Incubation: The capsules are delivered to iSea and transported to a specialized aquarium astatine Sani Resort. There, edifice guests tin observe the embryos, which are nurtured nether controlled conditions.
• Hatching & Release: The process proved palmy erstwhile a turbot egg, lone 6 centimeters long, developed into a steadfast 10.5-centimeter stingray. The juvenile ray was past released into its earthy habitat, wherever it tin turn up to 80 centimeters.

This full “journey”—from postulation to release—serves arsenic the aviator protocol for aboriginal conservation actions. The inaugural leveraged expertise and hatching protocols developed by iSea’s Spanish partner, Associació Lamna.

Broader task scope

The palmy ray rescue and merchandise is an enrichment of the Thermaikos Biodiversity Project, which began successful 2021 arsenic the Thermaikos Dolphin Project (focused connected monitoring dolphin populations).

The programme has present expanded to support wide marine biodiversity, reconstruct endangered ray populations, and rise consciousness among section communities and edifice visitors.

Related: Hundreds of Endangered Sea Turtle Hatchlings Born successful 2024 connected Crete