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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Undulate ray: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Raja undulata

A marbled ray with wavy markings; recreational fishing for it is prohibited in ICES divisions VIII a and VIII b. Other areas require their own checks.

Catalogue names : Undulate ray. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Documented from southern Ireland and England to Senegal, in the English Channel, southern North Sea and Mediterranean, including the Adriatic. Listed areas do not imply continuous occurrence.

  • Documented presence : Eastern Atlantic
  • Documented presence : English Channel
  • Documented presence : North Sea
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean Sea
  • Documented presence : Adriatic Sea

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Dark wavy lines edged with white dots on a brown to greenish back; white underside.

The dark lines edged with white dots are more useful than the local name alone: “raie lisse” can also mean undulate ray at Arcachon, whereas the catalogue reserves Raie lisse for Raja brachyura.

Habitat

Coastal sand and gravel, also offshore muddy-sand bottoms.

Living on soft bottoms explains its camouflage; a fish’s presence establishes no right to catch it.

Diet

Crustaceans, squid and fish living near the seabed.

Behaviour

It buries itself by day, leaving mainly its eyes and spiracles visible, and is active at night.

An egg-laying species depositing eggs inside horny capsules. Juveniles can have rings on the tail, requiring comparison of several features.

Indicative biological size

Usually 60–80 cm long according to DORIS.

Fishing context and precautions

No method for deliberately targeting Raja undulata is proposed in this dossier. The cited French prohibition concerns ICES divisions VIII a and VIII b, while other areas require separate checking. Foreign catches or tagging programmes create no French authorisation, and planning release does not itself make targeting lawful.

For an incidental catch during another authorised fishery, IFI’s general measures favour unhooking at boatside without a gaff, suspension by the tail or contact with the gills. If the hook is deeply embedded and cannot be removed easily, IFI recommends cutting the line as close as possible, then releasing promptly. This general precaution does not prove survival specific to Raja undulata or make targeting it lawful.

A distinctive feature

Spiracles behind the eyes draw in water for breathing while it rests on the seabed.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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