List of threatened rays

IUCN) ranks threatened species in three categories:^[4]

red-listed species, as they are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^[5]

bony fishes have skeletons made of bone. Because rays and sharks are closely related, they are often studied together. In 2010 a global IUCN study of vertebrates found that of 1,044 cartilaginous (ray and shark) species examined, 345 or 33% were threatened with extinction.^[6][7]

K-strategists which grow slowly, mature late sexually and produce few offspring. They cannot recover as rapidly as many faster growing fish can if their populations are depleted.^[8] As with sharks, rays are increasingly becoming vulnerable because of commercial and recreational fishing pressures, the impact of non-ray fisheries on the seabed and ray prey species, and other habitat alterations such as damage and loss from coastal development and marine pollution.^[9] Most particularly, the continuing decline of threatened rays and sharks is the consequence of unregulated fishing,^[10] as illustrated by a recent international survey which listed only 38 species of skates and rays still subsisting in the highly impacted Mediterranean Sea.^[11]

giant manta ray, are being caught and killed purely for their gill rakers. A fisheries study in Sri Lanka estimated that over a thousand of these were being sold in the country's fish markets each year.^[19]

CITES Appendix II species. This means that the international trade of manta rays will now be monitored and regulated.^[2][21]

Appendix I. This is CITES highest protection level, and means that all international trade of the species is banned.^[26][27]