Relationship To Humans
Spiny butterfly rays are harmless to humans, though if stepped on its tail spine can cause a painful wound. It is listed as a game fish in some regions. The meat of this species is highly regarded and it is caught for human consumption, except for in the waters off the United States where it is not targeted by commercial fisheries and is rarely taken as bycatch. Thus, there it is assessed as of Least Concern by the World Conservation Union.
Elsewhere in the spiny butterfly ray's range, it faces heavy fishing pressure, including in its coastal nursery areas, and has experienced marked declines. It is assessed as Critically Endangered in the southwest Atlantic, where it is taken by multispecies trawls, beach-seines, and recreational fishers. Off southern Brazil, catch rates have declined by 99% since 1982, due to fishing occurring year-round. This species is also Critically Endangered in the Mediterranean, where it is now rare or absent throughout its entire former range, especially along the southern shore such as off Sicily. The comprehensive Mediterranean International Trawl Surveys (MITS) since 1994 have failed to recover any specimens, indicating a massive decline in numbers. In West Africa, this species is assessed as Vulnerable; it is taken intentionally or incidentally by gillnets, shrimp trawls, longlines, and handlines. Reports from artisan fishers and other observers from Mauritania to Guinea have reported a severe drop in abundance, as well as decreasing median size as the adults are removed.
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