Important habitats for Karimunjawa’s shark-like rays: a collaborative search by fishers and scientists
As part of ongoing efforts to slow down the population decline of rhinorays in Karimunjawa, Central Java, Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI) has been working on rhinorays in Karimunjawa National Park (KJNP) since 2022, particularly the giant guitarfish (Glaucostegus typus) and bottlenose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae). EPI has recorded the presence of multiple rhinoray species in surrounding waters, but the overall population status and movement patterns remain uncertain.
Within this context, EPI pioneered a “Fisher Scientist” program and a critical habitat study on rhinorays in KJNP, with data collected in collaboration with local fishers. The Fisher Scientist program aims to engage fishers as active participants in population studies, specifically through a capture-mark-recapture (CMR) approach with small rhinorays, which aligns with our previous socio-ecological research indicating that fishers were more supportive of mitigating catches of small rhinorays due to their low market value. The program started with four local fishers known in their community for their long history of catching rhinorays, and now showed positive behavioral changes as a result.
To complement the Fisher Scientist program, EPI also started an independent rhinoray critical habitat identification process, identifying multiple sites within KJNP that may serve as pupping or nursery grounds. Although the research is still ongoing, it provides promising early evidence that specific areas within the park support the early stages of rhinoray life cycles. When combined with results of the Fisher Scientist program, it has begun to reveal distinct habitat-use patterns within the KJNP. Together, these efforts will provide essential knowledge to strengthen species management and conservation within the national park.
Read more about the details of the Fisher Scientist program and how it changes the collaborating fishers’ behavior in the full article, published in IUCN Shark News Issue #13, April 2026. The original version was written by Nyimas Alvynna Keneisha Zahra, in collaboration with Faqih Akbar Alghozali, Huda Lasmi, Maula Nadia, Fahmi, Hollie Booth, Vinay Udyawer, Simon Foale, and Andrew Chin.
