Dear Richard
There's little reported on the age of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays)
compared to bony fish. Studies on the web indicate that maximum age
for the common stingray in the Mediterranean is 10 years but the
specimens that were aged were smaller than the Herm specimen. In
captivity they have lived for 21 years.
According to the Shark Trust, in the Mediterranean the common stingray
is in decline but there is little knowledge of their status in the
North-East Atlantic. They are vulnerable to overfishing, as are most
elasmobranchs, because they mature late, have a four month gestation
and produce few offspring (4 to 9 off-spring twice per year). Common
stingrays give live birth to fully-formed young.
For more information:
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Speciessummary.php?id=2060
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_stingray
Pdf file on common stingray from shark trust: www.sharktrust.org/do_download.asp?did=33236
Best wishes,
Richard
Richard Lord
fishi...@guernsey.net
Tel: +44 (0)1481 700688
http://www.sealordphotography.net
Channel Islands Environment email list: http://groups.google.com/group/cienviron
On 20 Oct 2009, at 09:02, Richard Digard wrote:
> Richard
> Interesting (nice Photoshop, by the way) – what sort of age would
> she have been?
> Regards
> Richard
> 2009/10/18 Richard Lord <fishi...@guernsey.net>
> A recreational angler caught a 59 lb exactly (26.76 kgs.) female
> stingray, Dasyatis pastinaca, in shallow water near Vermerette off
> Herm's west coast (about 400 yards from Herm harbour) just before
> low water on the afternoon of Sunday 18 October.
> The ray had a total length of 124 cm and a disc width of 76 cm. The
> stomach of the fish contained about 20 well-digested sandeels and
> some small shrimp (it is a bottom feeder.) The liver weighed 4859
> grams (10.7 lbs.) Len Le Page tells me this fish is just shy of the
> British boat caught angling record.
> I photographed the fish on a white board while standing on a
> ladder. I washed the dorsal surface before photography and in
> Photoshop removed a gaff wound and re-attached the tail, which had
> been cut off with the barb.
> <stingray Dasyatis pastinaca Vermerette Herm 181009 ©RLLord 9329
> em.jpg>
> Best wishes,
> Richard
> Richard Lord
> fishi...@guernsey.net
> Tel: +44 (0)1481 700688
> http://www.sealordphotography.net
> Channel Islands Environment email list: http://groups.google.com/group/cienviron
> SlowFoodGuernsey email list http://groups.google.lk/group/slowfoodguernsey/
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