Telatrygon crozieri, Indian Sharpnose Ray

The Indian Sharpnose Ray (Telatrygon crozieri) is a small (to 40 cm disc width) ray occurring in the northern Indian Ocean, in India and Bangladesh, and possibly Pakistan. It is demersal on the inner continental shelf from the surface down to a depth of 50 m. It is captured in shrimp trawl and gillnets and rays tend to be targeted by industrial and artisanal fleets. Species-specific data remain limited due to species misidentifications and recent taxonomic changes. Declines in batoids from intense and increasing fishing has been reported for India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. This species has not been recorded recently on the west coast of India in regular trawl surveys and this historically widely distributed species now has a much narrower distribution. Even on the east coast (Tamil Nadu to West Bengal) of India, few individuals have been encountered and this number has declined during 2010–2018 surveys and the Indian Sharpnose Ray is now only regularly observed in the east coast from Odisha to West Bengal. The entire geographic range of the species is subject to intense and increasing fishing pressure with little refuge at depth. The steep decline in landings of batoids in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan is consistent with a population reduction of 54–84% over three generation lengths (26 years).