Puerto Caimito, Panama – A late April morning finds the industrial fishing vessel Tabor circling Chepillo Island in Panama Bay as crew members and a marine biologist work together to free a large black devil ray from a purse seine net. The animal, estimated at 100 kilograms, returns to the water after careful handling that avoids its venomous barb. Such interventions form part of ongoing efforts to reduce accidental catches of sharks and rays in waters where small pelagic fish are the legal target.
Hands-On Work Aboard the Tabor
Yehudi Rodríguez, a 49-year-old professor at the University of Panama and director of the Shark Defenders NGO, joins the crew of the Promarina S.A. fleet twice each month. The company holds permits only for sardines, herrings and similar open-ocean species, yet non-target animals still become entangled. Rodríguez records the exact location of each bycatch event and identifies the species before release, building a record that tracks patterns in accidental captures. The process carries real physical risk. On one recent outing the youngest sailor, 18-year-old Hermes, nicknamed Mbappé by his shipmates, helped maneuver a second ray back into the sea while both avoided injury from the animal’s tail. Rodríguez later described the moment of freeing a huge Mobula as deeply moving. These repeated actions turn routine fishing trips into direct conservation work.
Why Bycatch Matters for Travelers
Panama Bay remains an under-the-radar destination where visitors can witness marine wildlife that rarely appears in typical resort settings. Encounters with rays and sharks occur here amid active fishing grounds rather than in protected viewing zones. The presence of trained biologists on commercial vessels shows how science and industry can share the same waters without halting operations. Travelers interested in marine environments gain a clearer picture of the pressures these animals face. Accidental capture remains one of the main threats, and the data collected during releases helps map where interventions produce the best results. The work also reveals the human side of conservation, with local sailors participating directly in the releases.
Next Steps for Panama’s Marine Species
Continued monitoring aboard vessels like the Tabor supplies information that can guide future decisions on net design or seasonal restrictions. Fishers already see practical benefits when protocols reduce damage to gear and improve handling times. The approach combines field observations with the daily realities of the fishing industry. Uncertainty remains about how quickly populations of certain rays and sharks will respond to these measures. Long-term tracking will show whether the current level of intervention proves sufficient or whether additional protections become necessary. For now, each successful release adds one more data point to a growing picture of Panama Bay’s marine life. The effort underscores a simple reality: protecting these animals depends on steady, repeated action at sea rather than distant policy alone.
