Torpedo Ray Photography Expedition to Senegal, West Africa
February 2024
In February 2024, I spent ten days in Senegal looking for endemic torpedo rays. This was my third visit to Dakar, but the first visit in the winter when torpedo rays are more common. On all three trips I dove with local operator Nautilus Diving. This time, I also conducted many long solo night dives in N’gor Bay where no one else would probably want to dive. The shallow N’gor Bay dives involved long searches of sandy areas where I suspected torpedo rays might be found, partly based on intel from local divers.
The trip was a great success. I was able to locate all four of the endemic torpedo rays that are found in West Africa, including the Rosette Torpedo Ray (Torpedo bauchotae), the West African Torpedo Ray (Torpedo mackayana), and two undescribed species of torpedo rays that I’m provisionally calling the Brownspotted Torpedo Ray and the Whitespotted Torpedo Ray.
While diving in N’gor Bay, I also came across a handful of Pearl Whiprays (Fontitrygon margaritella) and many Striped Panrays (Zanobatus schoenleinii). The latter are common at many inshore sites around Dakar throughout the year.
There are two more species from West Africa that I have yet to find in Senegal: the Marbled Stingray (Dasyatis marmorata) which is mostly seen in the summer months, and the Blackchin Guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus) which is mostly seen in the winter. Neither are common, so I’ll likely have to do a few more trips before I exhaust the opportunities there.
What you can do right now
Ensure that you are not part of the problem
Never eat sharkfin soup and refuse to patronize restaurants that do. Avoid any medicines or supplements that profess to utilizing the healing power of shark cartilage or any other part of a shark. Don’t buy shark teeth (unless fossilized), shark jaws, or any items made with shark skin.
Get active
Join groups that are working to ban over fishing.
The Shark Trust in the UK is active in lobbying against finning and puts pressure on governments to outlaw long-lining of sharks.
Sea Shepherd takes a more radical approach. They have a ship on permanent patrol at the Galapagos Islands, and have been responsible for disrupting illegal long-lining in the marine park.
The Ocean Conservancy petitions the US government on issues often directly related to the over fishing of sharks and rays.