Hundreds of rays are found dead on São Paulo beaches
Approximately 250 Brazilian cownose rays were found dead on two beaches in São Vicente, on the São Paulo coast. They included adults, pups, and newborns, both male and female. The endangered Rhinoptera brasiliensis usually approaches the coast in shoals of up to a thousand individuals to feed on shells and shellfish in the summer.
According to Professor Otto Bismarck Gadig, a biologist at São Paulo State University (Unesp), the animals are likely to have been victims of trawling or net fishing.
“The rays we found yesterday were killed in a beach trawl at night, but we don’t know which net. Most fishermen, if not all, release the rays because it’s not rays they’re fishing for. When they see rays in the net, they make a joint effort to let them go,” he noted.
Professor Bismarck argued it is not possible to say for sure what happened and whether these rays were released too late, as the identity of the fishermen is not known. However, videos sent to the biologist point to suspects.
“This needs to be investigated, but what we can say is that they died in the nets. This has happened before and will continue to happen, unfortunately,” he said.
Even when unintentional, killing a large number of endangered animals is a crime and a serious environmental problem. “Eliminating sharks and rays is damaging to the marine environment. [This ray species] is a species in decline,” he added.
The professor also pointed out that the fishermen are fully aware of the risk of the cownose rays becoming extinct, which is why the situation is surprising and should be investigated.
Investigation
In a statement, São Vicente city authorities said it has requested the support of the Gremar Institute, tasked with protecting the marine environment, to count and identify the specimens. The animals have been collected for proper disposal. The Environment Secretariat stated it has begun looking into the possible causes leading to the incident.
According to reports, São Vicente Mayor Kayo Amado has appealed for more support from the Navy in carrying out nocturnal operations, the deaths of the rays are suspected to have been caused by trawling—which is illegal in the region.
“Such incidents, which lead to the deaths of dozens of rays, are unacceptable. Our Environment Secretariat has begun investigating its causes as well as the consequences,” the mayor said.
