The South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee (SWSFC) , in conjunction with the University of Wales Swansea (UWS) and with funding from the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), are conducting a ray tagging programme within the Bristol Channel throughout the summer of 2007.
This is a tag and recovery study that has been designed to gain some insight into the location of ray nursery areas in the Bristol Channel and to find out to what extent juvenile rays move out of these areas.
To achieve this we are aiming to tag substantial numbers of juvenile rays of all species. Adult rays are also being tagged when possible during the project to provide additional information on ray population dynamics in these areas, such as the movement patterns of large mature (spawning) fe-males.
Juvenile and adult rays collected from an Otter Trawl on board the UWS research vessel, the R.V. Noctiluca, are tagged externally with either a T-bar Anchor Tag or a Plastic Tipped Dart Tag, and then released. The tags are red and show a unique 5 digit identification code (e.g. T0001 or P0001) and a UWS telephone number. The species, nose to tail length, wing width, sex and condition of each indi-vidual fish are recorded by scientists on the research vessel before release.
The effectiveness of the study relies heavily upon the support of local commercial fishers and anglers on both sides of the Bristol Channel who may catch tagged rays in the future.
Anyone that catches a tagged ray is strongly urged to report their findings to SWSFC or Swansea University, noting:
• the code printed on the tag
• the date and location of capture
A Ray Tagging Poster explaining what to do if a tagged ray is found and a Tag Return Form are available to download from the SWSFC website www.swsfc.org.uk to whom the details can be reported.
Alternatively, phone the Swansea University number on 01792 295361 or 295359.
