On February 2022 the first field task of the projects called “Identification and distribution of Rays populations in the Térraba River, Costa Rica” were carried out.
This initiative financed by “beca azul” de Mision Tiburon aims to learn about the distribution of stingray populations, estimate their population structure and involve volunteers and local community members on the monitoring activities.
The contribution of this study will be the construction of baseline that allows the generation of management and conservation strategies for rays in this important ecosystem such as the Térraba river- pointed out Graciela Pulido, Project Manager of this
initiative.
The Térraba River is the largest river in Costa Rica and its mangrove swamp offers shelter and nursery areas to hundreds of fish species, including sharks and rays. Some of these are threatened and the generation of basic information is the first step to move towards protection. Knowing the populations of rays and their distribution in the wetland is key to understanding their condition both in the wetland and in the ocean, as well as the development of future conservation strategies.
Reserva Playa Tortuga is a non-profit biological research and education center formed in 2009 by community members (“citizen scientists”) and Costa Rican scientists.