GUITARFISH

The guitarfish (order Rhinopristiformes) are a group of rays that are found in tropical and subtropical areas. In the Mediterranean Sea two species of guitarfish are extant, the Common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos) and the Blackchin guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus). The population of both species has decreased dramatically throughout their range in the Mediterranean Sea.

Hence, any sighting of them is considered a rare event and are most commonly observed as bycatch in local fisheries.

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The guitarfish is a benthic fish, cruising along just above the sandy or muddy seabed and foraging for crustaceans, other invertebrates and fish.

It is an ovoviviparous fish with one or two litters of live young being born each year, each litter being four to ten fish. The gestation period is about four months, and the young develop inside the female, obtaining nourishment from their yolk sacs at first, and later from uterine secretions of their mother.

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The common guitarfish lives close to the coast and breeds in shallow water. This makes it vulnerable, and it is fished, primarily as bycatch. Most of the fish landed are immature. For the fish to have a long-term future and the fisheries to be sustainable, the adult fish need to be allowed to mature and breed. There is no special conservation plan for this fish and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "critically endangered".

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