Acoustic Telemetry for Critically Endangered Guitarfish Species – 2023

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Title:
Acoustic Telemetry for Critically Endangered Guitarfish Species

Duration:
1 year (July 2022 – July 2023)

Partners:
Environmental Organisation for the Preservation of the Aquatic Ecosystems, iSea

Funded by:
Blue Marine Foundation 
The Defense Infrastructure Organisation of the SBAs
The Ocean Tracking Network with the support of InnovaSea Systems

Project Description:
Cyprus is a potential critical area for two threatened species of guitarfish; the blackchin guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus) and the common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos). According to local knowledge and citizen science data, they are commonly captured as bycatch in recreational fishing such as rod surfcasting. Unfortunately, there is lack of awareness among stakeholders and especially fishers about guitarfish, its importance, and the threats that they face globally. This project aims to advance our knowledge of these critically endangered species, specifically within Cypriot waters. To do this, we will internally tag individuals at different life stages with acoustic transmitters (Vemco V9-2x-BLU-1 and V13-1x-BLU-1). This will be in collaboration with local fishers using the beach casting technique.External spaghetti ID tags are being inserted on all guitarfish caught, especially important for recently born juveniles which are too small for internal tagging.Eighteen acoustic receivers (Vemco VR2Tx-69 kHz) are being set up to track the guitarfishes’ movements. This is the first acoustic telemetry network in Cyprus. An additional goal of the project is to determine the long range connectivity of other tagging operations elsewhere in the Mediterranean (e.g. Israel) as our receivers can also detect their tagged specimens.