Save the Rays!
A Study of the Natural History of the Cownose Ray,
Rhinoptera bonasus

Currently, our research is set to begin in the summer of 2010. Fieldwork will be conducted near the mouth of the Potomac River by basing our operations at the Chesapeake Field Lab on St. Georges Island, MD. The research will be led by Dr. John Morrissey, an Associate Professor and shark biologist from Sweet Briar College. The research project will seek to understand the migratory patterns, feeding, and local habitat use of the Cownose rays (pictured right) in the mid-salinity portion of the Bay.

A number of species of skates and rays inhabit the Chesapeake Bay during the summer months.  They are thought to come into the Bay to give birth to their young and feed on bottom-dwelling organisms before returning to more southerly waters for the winter.  When found in high numbers, feeding rays appear to negatively impact shellfish beds and sea grasses.  The rays also become a prominent portion of the by-catch for local fisherman that employ "pound nets" to catch their commercial prey.
 
While some studies have investigated the ecology of these animals in the Virginia portion of the Bay, little is known about their biology and natural history in less saline, Maryland waters.  The Society for Ocean Sciences, in collaboration with Hood College and Sweet Briar College, hopes to change that by involving students, teachers and the public in the study of these unique creatures.

As stocks of shellfish and finfish continue to decline in the Bay, the seafood industry has recently begun to consider cownose rays a possible commercial species.  Dr. Ferrier explained,  "It's critical that we learn as much as possible about these  amazing animals  before there is a rush to initiate a commercial harvest for them in Maryland.  Otherwise, fisheries biologists will be trying to manage a harvest with little information regarding its possible impacts on the species."