Introduction

Shark Ray 360 (SR360) is an international conservation collective advancing the scientific understanding, care and conservation of critically endangered bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostoma) both in human care and throughout their native ranges. SR360 is made up of more than 30+ contributors across four continents representing zoos and aquariums, universities, global conservation groups, researchers, fisheries experts and more – all focused on creating and implementing innovative conservation strategies for the species.

With experts across several different fields of work, SR360 is focused on the following:

• Rescue, Rehabilitation, Rehoming and Release: Working with a network of fisheries partners, this collective has the capacity to rescue bowmouth that are incidentally caught, sold or trafficked. Once recovered, the animals are either tagged and safely released for continued monitoring, or they are placed in zoos and aquariums, where they can be cared for long-term and contribute to husbandry research and potential science-informed breeding and arking efforts.

• Health and Husbandry: By connecting organizations who care for bowmouth guitarfish, SR360 can collect baseline data and produce a first-ever guidebook on best practices for veterinary health, nutrition and care parameters to standardize wellbeing for the species while in managed care. These care standards will be essential when determining the conditions required to successfully breed and raise bowmouth in zoological settings and for future repopulation efforts.

• Conservation Research: Shark researchers are collaborating to advance novel studies of bowmouth, including determining the best protocol to tag bowmouth for satellite and acoustic monitoring and collecting the world’s first telemetry data for the species. This research will help the collective better understand bowmouth spatial use, further define existing threats or barriers to bowmouth conservation and inform opportune locations for potential reintroduction efforts.

• Communications and Education: Strategic communications for SR360 are focused on increasing the awareness of bowmouth guitarfish and their conservation status in key regions of the world – with a specific focus on areas where this species is native. Communications can elevate the urgency of this work with the public while also helping to expand capacity and support the efforts of SR360 with new potential partners.