Blackchin guitarfish

The Blackchin guitarfish is a native species to our waters. Its length ranges from 40 to 80 centimeters, though it can exceed one and a half meters. Under regulation (ΕΕ) 2023/2124 it is illegal to catch. It is caught accidentally using longlines or static nets and occasionally with bottom trawls. 

The species is classified as Critically endangered in the Mediterranean assessment of the IUCN Red List, and the Levantine Sea is one of the few homes they still have. We suggest avoiding this species and reporting its presence dead or alive to authorities.

It feeds using its fins (moving them vertically), searching in the sand for food, which consists of small bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates. It matures at around four years old and reproduces once or twice a year via ovoviviparity giving birth to 4 to 8 young each time. We suggest avoiding this species and reporting its presence dead or alive to authorities.