Anglers snag 3-foot-wide creature in first-of-its-kind catch off El Salvador. See it
Anglers set their fishing lines off the coast of El Salvador and waited. When they eventually hauled in their catch, they realized they’d snagged a “rare” 3-foot-wide sea creature.
It turned out to be a first-of-its-kind catch.
Professional fishermen using longlines off the coast of La Libertad hauled in a pair of distinctive rays in 2024 and showed their catch to some scientists, according to a study published March 13 in the peer-reviewed journal Check List.
Researchers quickly identified the fish as roughskin eagle rays and the country’s first record of the species, the study said.
Roughskin eagle rays, or Aetomylaeus asperrimus, are “a relatively rare species from the Eastern Tropical Pacific,” known to eat crustaceans and snails, researchers said. These rays are recognizable by their diamond-shaped bodies and “unique” coloring with a mix of white bands and spots.
Photos show the pair of rays caught off El Salvador. The larger ray measured about 4 feet wide and 2 feet long; while the smaller ray measured about 3 feet wide by 1.5 feet long, the study said.
Fishermen Elmer Antonio Flores reported that the rays were caught at a depth of about 25 feet.
Other fishermen reported “that two or three of these (roughskin eagle rays) can be captured per year” from La Libertad, suggesting “this species may be more common in the area than previously thought,” researchers said.
In El Salvador, “the consumption of ray meat is relatively common,” the study said. “Rays are often sold in restaurants in the central region or used as a natural remedy for certain illnesses.”
“With these first records in El Salvador, we increase this (species‘) geographic range,” researchers said. Still, “great data deficiency persists in rays … More data are essential, including information on its feeding habits, population dynamics, and vulnerability to fishing pressures.”
La Libertad is on the southern coast of El Salvador, a Central American country bordering Guatemala and Honduras.
The research team included Jazminne Paiz, Diego Fallas-Madrigal and Andrea Parada-Hércules.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 7:04 AM with the headline "Anglers snag 3-foot-wide creature in first-of-its-kind catch off El Salvador. See it."
