Thornback rays have been tagged for the first time with electronic tags in Danish waters

The first (ever!) thornback rays (Raja clavata) have been tagged in Danish waters with acoustic tags.

As part of the “Forgotten of the North” project, researcher Kim Birnie-Gauvin from the Technical University of Denmark tagged a mature male and a mature female last week in the Kattegat Sea.

Their tags will be pinging for the next two to three years, so we’ll be able to ‘listen’ for them with our array of acoustic receivers as they move around the region (you can click here to get an overview of the acoustic receivers currently listening for tagged animals in Europe).

We know thornback rays are present in Nordic waters, but we know next to nothing about their biology and ecology here – uncovering knowledge about this historically overlooked species is the goal of the Forgotten of the North. The data we collect from these two rays (and the many more still to be tagged) will help resolve some of the mystery around the species, like describing their seasonal migrations, and identifying critical habitats.

We will be tagging many more thornbacks in the coming weeks and months, but we are excited that the first tagged individuals are swimming out in the Kattegat right now!

Project

The ‘Forgotten of the North’ project is redressing the critical dearth of knowledge about thornback rays in Danish waters. Kim is using acoustic tagging to monitor their movement patterns and identify migration routes, aggregation sites and the highest-use areas that would need protection. Without this information, very little can be done to influence effective policies and guide management interventions that can halt the recent decline in this species. Kim also wants to ascertain if aggregating thornback rays around the island of Læsø are mating or pupping and to make inroads into more effective education about this species in Denmark.

See project and more news