Mote Marine Laboratory scientists are trying to learn more about spotted eagle rays.

  • Researchers at Mote are continuing their efforts from 2009
  • Tagged and released 500+ spotted eagle rays for research
  • Biologists say rays are a good indicator of ecosystems' health

On June 21, scientists released two spotted eagle rays off Longboat Key after fitting them with acoustic tags in an effort to learn more about their life history, reproduction and population status in the first comprehensive spotted eagle ray conservation project in the Gulf of Mexico.

Although spotted eagle rays are protected in Florida, they aren't protected under federal laws. International protections are limited, too. As a result, they're often harvested in Mexico and Cuba as food. That, combined with their extremely low reproductive rate, makes the spotted eagle ray a vulnerable species.

Currently, there is not enough information about the distribution, migration, feeding habits, growth rates and reproductive biology of spotted eagle rays. That's why Mote researchers initiated a collaborative conservation research project on the animal in 2009.

“With the help of many organizations from across the country, and even internationally, we have been able to start documenting information on the population status of spotted eagle rays in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Kim Bassos-Hull, Mote Marine Laboratory senior biologist.

“This information is crucial," continued Bassos-Hull, "because spotted eagle rays are a good indicator of overall health of the ecosystem. Their primary diet is composed of mollusks, and understanding how they impact this resource and their connection to other trophic levels such as predators is important for safeguarding the overall health of our oceans.”

To learn more about this species’ status in the Gulf of Mexico, biologists have sampled, tagged and released about 540 spotted eagle rays off Southwest Florida.

Main collaborators are from: California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Mexico, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Harbor Branch/Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research in Cuba, and University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.