Wild Tobago

When last did you see a ray at the beach?   Farahnaz Solomon, marine biologist and fisheries expert, tells us about these mysterious creatures and asks us to look for skates and rays in our waters.     Trinidad and Tobago may be home to as many as 30 species of globally threatened skates and rays. What do we know about them? How can we appreciate and protect them in our waters? Local NGO and advocate for marine life, SpeSeas, has started a project aimed at unravelling the mysteries of rays: just how many species are there and where exactly do they live? Some of us have heard fishermen’s tales of the majestic manta – sometimes called devil ray - often sighted out at sea. Some of us have seen the southern stingrays and spotted eagle rays on the reefs or at the beach.   And a few have witnessed the fevers (a collection of rays is called a fever) of cownose rays migrating along the coast. Skates and rays are fishes that are closely related to sharks....

Anjani Ganase, marine biologist, proposes greater respect and a different understanding of the place of sharks in ocean ecosystems When we think of sharks, we imagine them as bloodthirsty creatures, roaming the deep blue seas for unsuspecting beach-goers and swimmers. Growing up, movies such as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea instilled fear in people and children. Yes, sharks are top predators, but they don’t hunt people; and are important in keeping our marine environments in balance. Sharks are part of a diverse sub-class, known as Elasmobranchii, which also include skates and rays. Being part of the class chondrichthyes, this means that their structure is made up of cartilage rather than bones. A lighter cartilage skeleton and a tough outer skin makes for lightweight and efficient movement through the water column. There are over 400 species of sharks globally, much higher than breeds of dogs (~340), yet we only hear of the larger, more dangerous species. Here in the Caribbean, ...