Whitenose whipray

The whitenose whipray is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western central Pacific Ocean, its range extending from India to Malaysia and Indonesia; it is a demersal fish and is usually found over soft substrates in water that is shallower than 30 m (100 ft), including the lower reaches of rivers and estuaries.[1][4] One individual was found in a saltwater lagoon.[1]

The species is caught in large quantities by bottom trawling, demersal tangle netting, trammel netting, and Danish seine fishing in India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The flesh is consumed fresh or preserved by salting and drying, and the cartilage (vertebrae) is dried and exported to the Far East. The skins are dried and used in the manufacture of galuchat bags, wallets, belts, and shoes.[1]

This demersal whipray is threatened by overexploitation, as it is fished intensively over much of its range. In Indonesia, fishing vessels must travel for much greater distances to find acceptable quantities of fish. In India, too, where it is heavily fished, the catch rate is also declining from overfishing, as well as pollution and coastal degradation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this fish as "endangered".[1]