Two more newborn Thornback rays returned to their natural environment

Exactly one year ago, we were thrilled by the first successful hatching of a Thornback ray egg as part of the Thermaikos Biodiversity Project. This year, we are proving that this was not a one-off event, but that our efforts for the second year are yielding even more encouraging results!

iSea’s collaboration with fishers in the North Aegean, as part of the By ElasmoCatch Project, had already highlighted the accidental entanglement of eggs from vulnerable rays in fishing nets, and efforts to give these eggs a second chance at life were soon after incorporated into the “Thermaikos Biodiversity Project”. The eggs found entangled in the nets of fishers in Chalkidiki are collected and delivered to iSea. They are then transferred to specially designed facilities at the Sani Resort, where they are kept under controlled environment and systematically monitored by the scientific team, until they hatch. Building on the existing expertise of our partners at Associación Lamna, from 2024 iSea has been developing this specific ex situ conservation process. Following approximately one year of experimentation and adjustments to achieve the appropriate hatching conditions, in 2025, a Thornback ray successfully hatched under controlled environment for the first time in Greece and was subsequently released!

However, the news was even better this year. So far in 2026, two more Thornback ray eggs hatched at Sani Resort and already released, whilst we wait for more new-borns soon!

Almost half of the shark and ray species in Greece are threatened with extinction according to the Greek Red List with bycatch being the mayor threat they face, which makes this second chance provided to the eggs to hatch crucial. This Ex-situ conservation project is an ongoing process of research and collaboration seeking the most viable conditions and continuously improving hatching protocols.

Every successful hatching and release is, above all, a small yet meaningful win for the conservation of these vulnerable species. And seeing the newborn rays on their journey through the sea is the greatest reward for these efforts.

The project is part of the broader development of the Thermaikos Biodiversity Project, which was initially launched in 2021 by iSea and the Sani/Ikos Group as the Thermaikos Dolphin Project, aiming to monitor dolphin populations in the region through photo-identification and to create species-specific catalogs.

Today, the project has expanded to include actions for the protection of marine biodiversity, the restoration of threatened ray populations, and the awareness-raising of local communities and visitors.

Find out more about the project here: https://isea.com.gr/project/thermaikos-biodiversity-project/

Find out more about the By Elasmo Catch Project here: https://isea.com.gr/project/by-elasmocatch/

Watch the video of the first successful hatching in a controlled environment and release of a Thornback ray into the sea here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N89eDnmRcA&t=1s