Times of the Islands Summer 2022

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
data, they concluded that the eagle rays found around
South Caicos can either be permanent residents of the
area or transient visitors, using the area for part of the
year then migrating elsewhere before returning.
Thus, it appears that within this species there are
both nomadic and sedentary individuals. Another study
based out of Florida came to a similar conclusion using a
method known as passive acoustic telemetry to view the
movement patterns of the eagle rays in their waters. They
attached transmitters to 54 rays in the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic coast and found that the majority of rays
tagged in the Gulf displayed migratory behaviors, while
most Atlantic coast rays were residents.
Whether the rays of the TCI are migratory or Belongers
(the term for a resident of the TCI), it seems much of their
time is spent in local waters. Therefore, local conservation
efforts could be highly effective in increasing their
populations. In order to aid eagle ray recovery, bycatch
of eagle rays needs to be reduced on a global scale, while
harvest and trade of eagle ray products must be monitored
both domestically and internationally to track how
many are consumed each year.
Unfortunately, many global fisheries are unmanaged
and difficult to regulate. This is not likely to change without
a widespread shift in human behavior, but starting
with your own habits can help. Cutting back on seafood
consumption is not necessarily feasible for all people, but
if possible, try to purchase seafood locally from small
and sustainable businesses that make an effort to prevent
bycatch, or catch your own fish with approved gear.
Fishers can help by not fishing in Marine Protected
Areas and by releasing any sharks or rays caught. Release
these animals as soon as you believe you have hooked
one, even if that means cutting the line (the hook will
eventually rust away). Often even the act of reeling in
a shark or ray can be fatal for the individual, and death
does not always occur immediately but sometimes hours
later. If you do catch one, make an effort to keep it in
the water while releasing it to not add the stress of being
lifted onto the boat for prolonged periods. Anyway, a true
fisher gets into the water to take a photo of their catch!
Fishers can also use inline circle hooks which can help
improve survival rates of released fish without significantly
diminishing catch rates. Finally, using hook and
line or spear guns rather than nets can also massively
reduce the likelihood of bycatch.
Tourists in the TCI can help eagle rays too. Supporting
ecotourism such as snorkeling or diving excursions with
the intention of spotting eagle rays can provide local
financial incentives for protecting these magnificent creatures.
There are numerous dive and snorkel operations
spread throughout the Islands, so grab your gear and
explore. Wherever you dive or snorkel, always remember
to respect the local wildlife and encourage others around
you to do the same, keep a generous distance between
you and the rays, and never corner or touch a wild animal.
Valuing the eagle rays and other cartilaginous fish
in the TCI is not a new concept, as many indigenous cultures
have long treasured these species for both their
intrinsic value and their cultural significance. In the
Caribbean, the Lucayan Taínos lived a life in and around
the ocean, catching what was needed to sustain themselves,
and using most, if not all parts of the animal. The
Taínos often encountered sharks and rays while fishing,
and had at least four words for sharks, as well as naming
the Southern Stingray (Libuza) and the whitespotted eagle
ray (Chucho).
Shark and ray artifacts have been found in the archaeological
remains of their communities. As cartilaginous
fish, most body parts do not preserve well in fossil
records, but shark teeth, eagle ray grinding plates, and
ray tail spines are commonly unearthed. Often the barbed
spines of the rays were used for hunting, fishing, and
as weaponry for battle. Shark and ray skin was used as
sandpaper or for grinding cassava into a fine grain. Shark
and ray meat was consumed, and other parts were used
for tools or even decoration.
Today, the people of the TCI occasionally harvest
these species, but with a large market available for economic
growth through tourism, there is an incentive to
shift away from consumption to conservation: There is
often more money to be made catering to tourists that
come to the TCI to see these magnificent creatures than
in their harvest.
Eagle rays are a piece of living history that tie the
people of the TCI to the original inhabitants of this land,
and with greater protection and responsible fishing this
heritage can be shared for generations to come. a
To learn more about the The School for Field Studies’
projects on South Caicos, go to http://www.fieldstudies.
org/tci.
62 www.timespub.tc