Whitenose whipray

Lore & Background

The whitenose whipray was first described by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker in 1852. Bleeker was an army surgeon who worked for 20 years for the Dutch East India Company in Indonesia, amassing a collection of over 12,000 fish which he took home to Holland. These specimens are mostly lodged in the Natural History Museum in Leiden.

This species is found in shallow waters, usually over soft substrates, including the lower reaches of rivers and estuaries. One individual was found in a saltwater lagoon. It is caught in large quantities by bottom trawling, demersal tangle netting, trammel netting, and Danish seine fishing in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The flesh is consumed fresh or preserved by salting and drying. The cartilage (vertebrae) is dried and exported to the Far East, and the skins are dried and used in the manufacture of galuchat bags, wallets, belts, and shoes.

Reader's Guide

The whitenose whipray is significant as a species heavily exploited across its range for its meat, cartilage, and skin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as 'endangered' due to overexploitation. In Indonesia, fishing vessels must travel much greater distances to find acceptable quantities of fish. In India, where it is heavily fished, the catch rate is declining from overfishing, as well as pollution and coastal degradation. The species is caught using multiple gear types including bottom trawling, demersal tangle netting, trammel netting, and Danish seine fishing. Its products—fresh or salted flesh, dried vertebrae exported to the Far East, and dried skins used for galuchat items—drive this intensive fishing pressure. The decline in catch rates and the need for longer fishing trips indicate that populations are under severe stress, leading to its endangered status.

Did You Know?

• The whitenose whipray was first described by Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker in 1852.
• Bleeker amassed a collection of over 12,000 fish during his 20 years in Indonesia.
• Its dried cartilage (vertebrae) is exported to the Far East.