Brevitrygon imbricata

Abstract

The Bengal Whipray (Brevitrygon imbricata) is a small (to 29 cm disc width) ray that occurs in Eastern Indian and Western Central Pacific Oceans from eastern India to Sarawak, Malaysia. It is demersal in inshore and brackish waters at depths of 3–55 m. Smaller whiprays have relatively high biological productivity and the Bengal Whipray has an inferred generation length of 8.5 years. The meat is considered to be of good quality and is consumed locally. There is a long history of overfishing of inshore populations and fishing pressure remains high, and may be rising, across the species’ entire range. There are no species-specific time series, although reconstructed landings data of all whiprays from both Malaysia can be used to infer declines of 59–84% over the past three generation lengths (26 years). In Bangladesh and Thailand, this species is one of the most common rays landed but has had steep declines in the past 10 years. Its habitat has also been degraded by urban development and agriculture. This species has minimal refuge from fishing pressure which is high and increasing across its range resulting in declines, however, its productivity likely reduces the impact of fishing. It is suspected that the Bengal Whipray has undergone a population reduction of 30–49% over the past three generation lengths (26 years) due to actual levels of exploitation, and it is assessed as Vulnerable A2d.