Ray
Dazzle Ray
Handmade paper collage using printed magazine images on 400gsm cartridge paper.
Size: 230cm X 180cm
Artist: Lisa Fielding - Smith
Fish Profile
Rays - Batomorphi
Conservation status
There are over 600 species of Ray.
Their conservation is a major cause for concern.
According to a 2021 study in Nature, the number of oceanic sharks and Rays has declined globally by 71% over the preceding 50 years, jeopardising ‘the health of entire ocean ecosystems as well as food security for some of the world's poorest countries’.
Greenpeace have Rays on their Red List and comment: ‘Many skate and Rays populations are now severely depleted and suffer from overfishing and poor management. Many species of skates and Rays are caught by bottom trawling which impacts on seabed habitats and unintentionally catches high numbers of unwanted bycatch that is thrown back dying.’
The IUCN Red List has many Rays species listed as threatened.
Rays are Threatened for a number of reasons including overfishing, bycatch, and habitat degradation and pollution.
Around Britain you can find Thornback Ray (IUCN Least Concern), Common Stingray (IUCN Vulnerable) and Undulate Ray (IUCN Near Threatened)