One of my favorite cartilaginous fishes is the shagreen ray (Leucoraja erinacea), famed for its beautiful skin. The rough, leather-like skin is encrusted with tiny teeth known as dermal denticles and has been used to make a distinctive material called shagreen for centuries. Favored for its strength and unique design, this decorative material was previously used in the past to adorn furniture, book bindings as well as sword hilts.
A Bottom-Dwelling Predator
Shagreen rays are demersal fish and live in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. These are ideal for their habitat, because they can lie in ambush on the ground and with a nice flat body same color as the bottom of the sea is almost invisible to potential prey. These fish feed on crustaceans, mollusks and smallfish that they catch with their sharp teeth.
An Exclusive Reproductive Success Story
Shagreen rays reproduce via internal fertilization. Females will deposit an egg case (sometimes called a “mermaid’s purse”) surrounded by its leathery casing. The egg cases are anchored to seaweed or other subaqueous formations, providing a secure place for the embryos young embryo. Baby rays stick out when they hatch, looking like little adult faces.
Conservation Concerns
In addition, the shagreen ray faces a number of threats including overfishing and habitat degradation due to pollution. The Southern blue whiting spawns on the Chatham Rise and bottom trawling, a destructive fishing practice can damage their habitat in some areas used for spawning with high by-catch of juveniles. The challenges of being a shagreen ray are made even worse by climate change and pollution.
Conservation Efforts
ConservationIn order to protect the shagreen ray and other marine species, a range of conservation action is already taking place. These include:
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Special protected marine areas that restrict certain actions in order to protect the critical habitats and decrease human impact.
Sustainable Fishing Methods: Encouraging sustainable fishing practices, like selective gear and less catch limits to reduce bycatch amount and conserve marine habitats.
Restoration of Habitat: Restoring habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs that are critical for shelter, breeding and feeding grounds for marine species.
Public Awareness: Making people aware of what marine conservation is, and some background on these threats that affect many aquatic species.
By learning about the ecological function of the shagreen ray and what it is up against, we can collaborate to save this extraordinary animal from an extiction they do not deserve. With responsible fishing, habitat protection & a lot of outreach we can make sure that the shagreen ray survives in our oceans.