This week Shayla Smith who writes for the popular animal advocacy platform The Dodo (with 14 million+ followers worldwide) conducted an interview with Project Banjo and #RaysAwareness founder PT Hirschfield about the campaign to stop the senseless slaughter of rays in Australia. SHAYLA: We're very interested in the story you submitted about Project Banjo. I think it's very important for people to know what is happening to these rays. You provided us with a lot of detailed information about Project Banjo. How did you become involved in the advocacy group? PT: I'm an underwater photographer and videographer. I founded the Project Banjo action group (which currently has 780 members) in February 2017 after yet another of many dives where I witnessed multiple dead 'banjo sharks' (aka fiddler rays) thrown back beneath one of the many piers along the popular Mornington Peninsula tourist region. Clearly the people catching them didn't want to keep them. But for many years myself and other divers had seen these dead and dying animals littering the seabed at the fishing end of piers, not knowing what we could do about it. We discovered that there is already a regulation banning the return of unwanted animals dead or harmed back into the water, but that this law was not being adequately enforced. Group members submitted photographic and video evidence of cruelty against rays they had collected over many years at many locations, including footage of rays chopped in half with the live half thrown back in; rays that had been paralysed, returned to the water and found still alive three days later; rays that had had their mouths ripped out to retrieve fishing hooks and others that had been dealt cranial splits, some of which had been returned to the water still alive (as per this disturbing video compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQXGyUm_fI ). On 2 April, my dive buddy Mark Jones photographed me with a huge dead smooth ray (250-300 kgs) which had been caught and killed. These enormous but docile rays are resident to the piers and are much loved by locals and tourists alike, and this was an animal we had been photographing and filming for several months: https://youtu.be/crEy5BAn2L8 Although rarely considered a target species by Australian fishers, currently in Victoria it is legal to catch and kill five of these massive animals per person per day. This photograph quickly spread across local and international social media and news platforms, leading to over 29,000+ signatures from across the globe on our cause.com petition 'Stop the Senseless Slaughter of Rays'.  SHAYLA: I read a 15 May article by Animals Australia about placing signs on piers. Has this happened? PT: Because of the clear global concerns on this issue, the Victorian  Fishing Authority (VFA, previously Fisheries Victoria) were very responsive to the the need to provide a solution and drafted a Fisheries Notice which is currently open for public consultation until 14 August. They have proposed: * reduction of rays bag limit per day from 5 to 1 * a ban on taking rays near fixed man-made structures e.g. jetties, piers, breakwalls * a ban on taking rays with a wingspan over 1.5 metres Those who wish to either support the Fisheries Notice as above or who would like to request a total ban on the taking of rays are invited to submit an email to that effect to: stingray.consultation@vfa.vic.gov.au by 14 August. There is a sample letter that can be copied / modified at this link: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-senseless-slaughter-of-rays/u/20652439 In addition to the proposed changes of the Fisheries Notice, VFA have committed to a broader education and enforcement campaign, including signs that are are currently being produced for display on piers and bait freezers, reminding fishers of best practice regarding the handling of rays.  SHAYLA: Have you noticed a shift in sentiment from fisherman since the beginning of the campaign? PT: Project Banjo have had in-person meetings and discussions with the Directors of VFA, VRFish, Fishcare, TV Fishing Program hosts, owners of fishing stores and fishing charter companies, marine biologists, politicians, council mayors etc, all of whom have unanimously agreed that better outcomes are needed and who are being proactive in facilitating discussions about how that can be achieved. Unfortunately we are still regularly seeing rays that have been senselessly slaughtered, but we believe that improved regulations, strong education initiatives, more stringent enforcement, signage and additional initiatives will help to achieve greater awareness and better outcomes to address the problems. SHAYLA: How does Project Banjo educate the public about rays and ray killings? PT: In addition to holding discussions with key stakeholders within recreational fishing who have consequently started to become proactive on this issue, we have raised awareness of the problem with the global community through media articles and interviews. In addition to our online petition, we have a Facebook page called Rays Awareness https://www.facebook.com/Rays-Awareness-168992960290905/ that aims to highlight the problems encountered by rays globally. Unfortunately due to the tragic death of Steve Irwin in 2006 (the third ray-related death in Australian history), some people wrongly perceive rays as animals that may 'attack' humans; in reality they are non-aggressive animals that on rare occasions may act in self-defence if they feel themselves to be threatened. Rays Awareness aims to restore more well-founded perceptions of rays, celebrating their beauty and their value alive within their natural environments, where they perform vital services in maintaining healthy underwater ecosystems which are of benefit to all water users. We also encourage anyone who sees rays being mistreated to make a report to their local fishing authorities (in Victoria, the number to call is 13FISH).  SHAYLA: I'm curious as to how these deaths affect ray families. Could you tell me about rays' social structures?  PT: The large smooth rays (250-350kg+) and smaller banjo sharks (aka 'fiddler rays') as well as eagle rays common in Victorian waters  seem to be quite solitary animals that do not appear to stay in family groups. Juvenile rays appear to be completely independent. These species of rays are not typically seen travelling together, although they do tend to congregate with other rays when they have an opportunity to feed opportunistically e.g. it is possible to see up to 10 huge rays gathering at piers during spider crab season, but more typical to encounter one to three smooth rays at other times, based on the amount of fishing activity taking place. Such opportunities are what make them particularly vulnerable at piers, jetties and boat ramps, etc where they scavenge fishing bait and carcasses put into the water by fishermen. SHAYLA: Could you tell me about rays' intelligence?   PT: Smooth rays are typically very docile and curious creatures and tend to be very dog-like. They are like ocean puppies with a focus on food and some that have been hand fed or petted associate humans with these positive experiences and initiate interaction in the hopes of being fed or petted. Those that have had positive interactions with humans - typically around man-made structures in tourist areas - are often happy to interact with humans in the shallows and underwater unless they have reason to feel themselves to be threatened which may trigger defensive behaviours. Like dogs, smooth rays demonstrate different behaviours, based in part on their past experiences and potentially on their personalities. While some tend to almost be affectionate towards humans, following them underwater or gently brushing against them, others are quite flighty and distrusting of them.   Fiddler rays (aka banjo sharks) are thought not to learn as easily from their experiences, as often the same ray will be caught by the same fisher multiple times. Autopsies in labs reveal that some fiddler rays have multiple hooks inside their livers. This can lead to fisher frustration and a wrong perception of there being 'plague proportions' of rays (often leading to the slaughter of unwanted rays that are sometimes viewed by fishers as 'pests') where really it is more likely a small number of rays being caught repeatedly. SHAYLA: You mentioned rays are being killed so fishermen can recover cheap hooks. What can fisherman do to reduce bycatch?   PT: Rays are bottom dwellers, so fishers on piers can use less heavy sinkers and tie their bait in such a way that it does not sit on the bottom of the seabed which increases chances of attracting and catching unwanted rays. Many fishers discard unwanted bait, chicken and fish carcasses, etc beneath the fishing end of piers which both adversely affects the health of the ecosystem they are fishing from and attracts rays, increasing the likelihood that they will be caught. Hence choosing not to discard such materials into the water at the fishing end of piers will limit the number of rays coming in to scavenge for that kind of food and reduce the bycatch.  SHAYLA: They are throwing rays into the water with deadly injuries and divers are left to euthanize them. How has euthanizing rays personally affected you and other divers?   PT: Euthanising intentionally harmed animals is a far cry from what most scuba divers would feel comfortable with. Recreational divers typically take up this hobby as they enjoy observing marine animals in their natural environment. It is disturbing and confronting for most divers to have to euthanise these animals. That’s something that our dive training definitely does not cover. We have begun to have reluctant discussions within the dive community about the best ways to put these poor animals out of their misery. No diver should ever be put in that position. No ray should ever be in that position. On Wednesday evening 3 May, four ‘banjos’ were caught by an unidentified fisher on Rye Pier before being dealt severe cranial splits, in addition to some having their mouths ripped out. At least one of the animals was still alive after sustaining this injury, as caught on disturbing video by local scuba diving instructor Jane Bowman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUNQ5p9woAk Divers who planned to euthanise the animal the following morning found it already dead, along with a fifth banjo that had been knifed in the head. Ms Bowman had previously reported seeing 18 dead, discarded rays on a single dive at the same pier, including a less commonly seen eagle ray. At approx 2:30pm Saturday 20 May, local diver Ruth Betteridge filmed then euthanised another mutilated banjo that appeared to have been disembowled before being thrown back into the water, landing on her head.  An active member of the Project Banjo group which is campaigning for a ban on the killing of rays in Port Phillip Bay, Betteridge explained, ‘I had to film it which I don't like and then to end its suffering which was awful.’ https://www.youtube.com/embed/hQGZLolF55k AJ Morton of mobile scuba school Dive2U photographed a mutilated fiddler ray on 12 May: “Another Banjo...this time at Frankston Pier. Had its mouth ripped open and left for dead for the sake of a $2 hook. Wasn't even at least put out if its misery. Just a blatant disregard for the welfare of the animal.” Scuba Instructor Jacqui Younger photographed a banjo that had met a similar fate at Portsea Pier the following day.  On 29 April, one diver filmed a banjo at Blairgowrie Pier that had been paralysed by a knife wound, then thrown back alive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4TOzfssiHs The diver had no prior experience of having to euthanise a ray and felt guilty about not having done it. Three days later another diver - Sam Riley -  filmed the same ray still alive: “I was able to put it out of its misery after recording some video, but it is tragic to imagine the pain it would have been in over the past few days while living in such a state.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSjglhqIcBA&feature=youtu.be  Diver Jane Headley also shared disturbing video footage of a ray that had been chopped in half. The back end of the animal was retained or discarded whilst the front, still living end was dumped back into the water to die: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmSoPDPlv44&feature=youtu.be . She said 'It really upset me at the time so I would like to show my footage to others to create awareness of this torture. I did cry underwater when I saw it. Hopefully it will not be a meaningless death now'.  While the injuries inflicted upon these rays are particularly brutal, Melbourne-based Project Banjo are collating a growing body of evidence that such attacks against rays in Port Phillip Bay are not isolated events. Testimonials and photographic evidence supplied by the ray advocacy group are evidence that rays have been slaughtered as unwanted catch regularly for many years across the piers of Port Phillip Bay and Westernport, including but not limited to popular fishing and diving spots Portsea, Blairgowrie, Rye, Frankston and Flinders. Diver Zain Fimmel attests to having euthanised countless rays left for dead across many years of diving. And it’s not just divers who are affected by this. Schools are taking snorkelling groups out over the top of trails of massacred animals. People who are walking or fishing on the piers can often look down and see the carnage in just a few metres of water. It’s a terrible look for tourism in a region  Even if it’s only a small number of fishers who do the wrong thing, it’s consistent enough to have been a regular problem over a long period of time across a broad range of popular fishing and diving sites. What’s happening here isn’t ‘fishing’. A lot of the time it’s blatant animal cruelty. SHAYLA: How can 'unwanted' rays be released without harm?  PT: Inexpensive hook removal tools can be purchased from any fishing tackle store. However, carefully removing the hook with pliers or even just cutting the line without removing the hook before releasing the animal back into the water will increase its chances of survival.  SHAYLA: Are there any public groups of fishermen who call out rays? We published a story about rays not too long ago that focused on organized roundups and ray killing competitions. Does that exist in Melbourne?  PT: Thankfully we do not have public groups of fishers who organise ray killing competitions in Melbourne like in Chesapeake Bay (which we believe to be abhorrent), and we certainly do not get large numbers of rays congregating in Victoria in the same way. All of the incidents of ray killing and mutilation appear to come from individual fishers. We have had strong support to date from key stakeholders within the fishing community on this issue, having met with the Directors of Victorian Fishing Authority and VRFish (http://www.vrfish.com.au Victorian Recreational Fishing, the peak body who represent fishers and fishing clubs, who are now canvassing their members' views in response to the Fisheries Notice that is currently under public consultation until 14 August: https://vfa.vic.gov.au/featured/current-consultation ). We have also received letters of support for the proposed ray protection from recreational fishing groups such as FutureFish Foundation (made up of high profile recreational fishers, most of whom host fishing programs on tv) and Fishcare Victoria (https://fishcare.org.au) - I have attached their letters of support for your reference, as well as the original letter we received on this issue from the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford. We have also conversations with fishing tackle store owners and recreational fishing charters (e.g. Bay Fish 'n Trips who subsequently added this pro-ray page to their website: http://bayfishntrips.com.au/news/rays-and-skates-of-port-phillip ), all of whom agree that the treatment of rays in Victoria by some recreational fishers is a serious problem that needs to be addressed through better regulation and enforcement. While it appears that the majority of the fishing community are in favour of better outcomes for rays, the bigger picture of community values both within and beyond recreational fishing is currently being sought through the VFA consultation process, there are clearly enough individuals in practice for this to have been a substantial problem for a long period of time, not just in Melbourne, Victoria but in other parts of Australia (as evidenced by advocacy groups like Supporting Sharks and Rays in SA - an advocacy Group in South Australia).  SHAYLA: In your quote to Scuba News you mentioned conversations in the diving community about the mutilated rays and what to do. How do divers euthanize the rays?   PT: According to Project Banjo group member Zain Fimmel, the most effective method of euthanising a mutilated ray is 'A knife to the middle of the head. 1-2 cm behind the eyes. That has worked for me when I've had the unfortunate task of doing this countless times.'   SHAYLA: Why are fishermen purposely mutilating rays? PT: Purposeful mutilation and return of 'unwanted' rays into the water results from complete lack of respect for the animal, existing regulations and best fishing practice combined with the frustration at not having caught the sort of fish desired, considering the animals to be a 'pest'. Such behaviour is blatant animal cruelty and in some cases that cruelty may result from boredom for those who aren't catching the fish they are targeting. When the unwanted rays are returned to the water dead, again it's usually due to frustration and a desire not to catch the same ray again. One older man explained to me: 'This is my hobby. If I sit on the pier for 6 hours and catch nothing and then I catch a ray, I'm angry. I have to kill something.' In fact, throwing any sort of carcass into the water just perpetuates the problem, attracting the next ray into the fishing zone. Such attitudes have unfortunately been compounded by wrongful perceptions of rays in the light of Steve Irwin's tragic accidental death in 2006. While rays are generally very docile creatures, they may act in self-defence if they feel themselves to be threatened in any way. While some fishers may claim ignorance of regulations or more respectful handling of unwanted rays they have caught, the pier / bait freezer signage we are campaigning for as well as the expanded education and enforcement initiatives that VFA have committed to as a result of our #RaysAwareness campaign will help to address any claims of ignorance.  SHAYLA: Why do you do the work that you do to protect rays? PT: The issue of the mistreatment of rays in Australia has literally been hidden beneath the surface for too long. As a community who not only values the ocean but the role played by each animal in it, the goal of Project Banjo is to #RaysAwareness of the issue with politicians and members of the recreational fishing and broader communities to see better outcomes for rays. This is not an anti-fishing campaign but an anti-cruelty campaign and a call for best practice to be applied by those who choose to fish which many key stakeholders within recreational fishing support. In light of the growing body of evidence, we can no longer sit silent in the face of such abject cruelty or allow it to remain unaddressed. There is simply no justification for fishers killing or mutilating an animal they don't intend to keep or eat as is happening with alarming regularity with the smaller rays. In terms of the large smooth rays which are much loved by locals, tourists and water users alike, they are generally not considered a target animal by the majority fishers and regulations and enforcement need to be updated and more effectively applied to reflect local, national and global community standards and expectations on this issue. While very few huge smooth rays (250-350 kgs) are killed as food, it is a travesty and a waste when any individual chooses to kill such a magnificent animal to retain than 25% of its body weight, discarding the enormous carcass back into the water. Current regulation allows for 5 of these massive animals to be caught per fisher per day which is absurd. These animals have far greater value alive in their underwater ecosystems than dead, performing valuable filtration systems that benefit all water users, including people wanting to fish from and dive in the healthiest water possible. We feel that it is extremely important to counter any broader misconceptions about the nature of rays that have become part of popular culture (particularly since the tragic accidental death of Steve Irwin in 2006) which are likely contributors  to the unfounded fear and mistreatment of these animals both in Australia and globally. Rays have important roles to play in underwater ecosystems which need to be better understood and respected by all who interact with and rely upon those ecosystems. This is Project Banjo’s Mission Statement: Our work is dedicated to putting an end to the senseless slaughter of the rays including fiddler rays ('banjo sharks'), smooth rays and other unwanted catch by anglers throughout Port Phillip Bay. We aim to educate the community (in particular fishers) about the value of protecting this species and raising awareness of the penalties associated with illegally killing these animals when unintentionally caught on fishing lines. We aim to harness increased public awareness and media attention to lobby for greater education and intervention by Fisheries, including relevant signage on piers and campaigns to engage and educate fishers through better understanding of the species and their role in the ecosystem of Port Phillip Bay. We aim to mobilise water users including scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers to contact their local fishing authority to report EVERY time you see a ray or other marine life that has been senselessly killed and mutilated. SHAYLA: Also, is there a FB page for Project Banjo? PT: The  Project Banjo action group Facebook page (currently 780+ members) is a closed group (so as not to be derailed by trolls as we have chosen to put our limited resources into making proactive connections with key stakeholders rather than investing too much time into membership screening and page management). The most effective platform at this stage for those wishing to be proactive is to sign the petition ( https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-senseless-slaughter-of-rays ) and MOST IMPORTANTLY, to send in an email response either supporting the current Fisheries Notice or requesting a total ban on the killing of rays by 14 August 2017 (sample letter here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-senseless-slaughter-of-rays/u/20652439 )  Our public page is called Rays Awareness and aims to balance celebration of rays with shining light on the continued worldwide problems relating to their perception and treatment:  https://www.facebook.com/Rays-Awareness-168992960290905/ SHAYLA:The Dodo was so happy to cover the issue in an article and hopes to follow the issue further. I hope we can make a difference in your campaign!  HERE’S the link to Shayla Smith’s article published on 3 April 2017 by The Dodo about the campaign to protect rays in Australia: https://www.thedodo.com/impact/stingray-killing-australia STOP THE PRESS: ONLY 12 MORE DAYS TO GET YOUR EMAIL INTO FISHERIES TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED CHANGES. THE SAMPLE LETTER YOU CAN COPY OR MODIFY IS HERE: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-senseless-slaughter-of-rays/u/20652439