Species Use Database

Spinetail devil ray
Mobula japonica

Used for Medicine and hygiene and Not caught intentionally in NZ - By-catch only, which is returned to the sea, i.e., cannot be landed legally. in New Zealand and Pacific - southwest

A. Species

Scientific name: Mobula japonica

Common name(s): Spinetail devil ray

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • New Zealand
  • Pacific - southwest

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: New Zealand


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2010

End Year: 2017


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal and Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene and Not caught intentionally in NZ - By-catch only, which is returned to the sea, i.e., cannot be landed legally.

Motivation of use: Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local private sector and International private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES NDF Report

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Fishing spinetail devil rays is illegal in New Zealand because of concerns for regional unsustainability set against a backdrop of global over-fishing for this species.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Continue legal prohibition of fishing for spinetail devil rays in NZ.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

New Zealand non-detriment finding for spinetail devil ray Mobula japanica.
Hugh A Robertson
New Zealand Scientific Authority for CITES
Biodiversity Group
Department of Conservation
NEW ZEALAND

Date of record entry: 2023-09-14