Well known local fisherman, diver and marine explorer, known to his friends as 'Sharky' came up with one of the rarest catches he or anyone could brag about in this region.

Last Friday, whilst fishing off Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas, he hooked, what at first sight looked like a Manta Ray but then slowly morphed ino what looked like a Spotted Eagle Ray until on closer inspection to his delight, as he fought for over 30 minutes to land his prize, he realized he had a very rare Ornate Eagle Ray on his line.

The Ornate Eagle Ray has an amazingly complex pattern of lines and reticulations on the upper surface of the disc (back) but doesn't have a barb on its tail which makes it quite harmless to humans.

The Ornate Eagle Ray is rarely seen in this region.  In fact Sharky said the last time he saw one of these rays was about 6 years ago when he was working with quicksilver.   

Unfortunately it is on the endangered list suffering it is thought from commercial fishing methods and it is so rarely seen that there is very little known about it. 

Most websites we checked for details were pretty uninformative as per the following extract; Common name: Ornate Eagle Ray (Aetomylaeus vespertilio). It is a large (to 240 cm disc width), a very uncommon eagle ray which has not been sighted in any great numbers since its description more than 160 years ago. It is a little known species. Occurs on the inner continental shelf to depths of 110m over soft sandy substrate. Reproductive biology, age and growth and dietary compositions are unknown but it is native to Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia); China; India; Indonesia (Jawa, Kalimantan); Malaysia; Maldives; Mozambique; Taiwan and Thailand.

With something this rare it's easy to see why Sharky was so excited with his catch.  Sharky said he only had the ray out for maximum 5 minutes before persuading it, with the help of his pup Tiger, to swim back into the depths. 

"These rays are too rare to keep. Its just a privilege to spend a little time with one and it's just another reason why you should come to Port Douglas for your holiday.  You just never know what is going to turn up" laughed Sharky.