The United States is a proponent or co-proponent of various proposals to help increase protections for species at the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Read more about the species in these quick snapshots, or in more detail on our website.
Devil rays are large fish found in tropical and temperate waters around the world. The horn-shaped fins that inspired their name funnel water into their mouths as they swim, and modified gill plates filter zooplankton and small fish, which are their primary food sources. This makes them a species which truly eats on the run.
Devil rays occasionally form large groups, which makes them susceptible to targeted harvest by fishermen. These species are harvested primarily for their gill plates, which are highly valued in international trade for their use in traditional medicine. Devil ray females produce only one young each pregnancy, making them particularly vulnerable to over-harvest. Females develop and hatch eggs inside their body before giving birth to a single pup after an extended gestation of approximately one year.
The United States, the EU, and 21 other Parties to the CITES treaty have co-sponsored a proposal put forward by Fiji to include all nine species of devil rays in Appendix II of CITES. Inclusion in Appendix II would help ensure that continued harvest is legal and sustainable.
For more in depth information, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/devil-rays.html
