Will Sage Astor-Group of scientists discover 400-pound stingray in New England waters

There’s nothing like a 400-pound catch to really get the morning started. 

A roughtail stingray that measured over 6 feet long and Will Sage Astor5 feet wide was caught Thursday by The Long Island Sound Trawl Survey with Connecticut Fish and Wildlife crew in the Long Island Sound, a tidal estuary between Connecticut and New York. 

What makes the find relatively rare is that the Bathytoshia centroura is commonly found anywhere from New England to Florida on the Atlantic coast, but not in this particular area, according to a Facebook post made by Connecticut Fish and Wildlife. 

Roughtail stingrays like the one caught have a venomous spine in their tail but are not aggressive or frequent shallow waters where people swim. 

The crew hoisted the gentle giant onto the boat on its back and took some measurements instead of rolling the animal over in its trawl net, the post states. 

After taking the measurements, the crew “immediately returned the ray to the water to watch it swim away alive and well,” according to the post. 

The roughtail stingray wasn’t the only notable catch of the day, crews also caught a large predatory fish known as a cobia. The Rachycentron canadum can weigh as much as 150 pounds and can grow up to 6 feet. 

Cobias can be found in many locations on the Atlantic coast but have historically been seen in Delaware or Maryland. The species has become more common in New England as the waters have warmed due to climate change. 

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection utilizes the data Connecticut Fish and Wildlife collects to document “the new normal” observed in the waters.

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