Occurrence of the endangered whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari around the Lesser Antilles island of Saint Kitts: a photo-identification study

The extinction risk of the whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari was recently elevated from near-threatened to endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. However, many aspects of its basic ecology remain poorly understood, hampering efforts to develop meaningful conservation strategies. In this photo-identification study, the spatial and temporal occurrence of A. narinari around the island of St. Kitts was assessed across multiple years, with a view to informing marine conservation efforts in St. Kitts and Nevis. Seventy-four individual rays were identified during the study, of which 46 were encountered on more than one occasion. The median time at liberty for re-encountered animals was 225 days, with some animals encountered across years. These re-encounters confirmed that the animals utilise multiple sites and are capable of extensive local movements. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that A. narinari in the waters around St. Kitts and Nevis would benefit from local-scale management and conservation measures.