ENDANGERED rays at Weymouth’s Sea Life Centre are the focus of a pioneering DNA-mapping project run by University of Manchester scientists.

A team of scientists from Manchester University’s Life Sciences Faculty is exploring the genes in the undulate ray, a protected species in UK waters which has declined sharply in numbers.

The ray is thought to be endangered due to overfishing, and commercial fishing of the creature was banned in 2009.

Research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource shows catches of the fish have declined by 60 to 80 per cent between 1988 and 2004.

The scientists will be looking at the diversity of DNA in the rays to determine how inbred the species is, as for small breeding groups inbreeding can result in frequent still-births and shorten the life-spans of offspring.

The results will be used to check the heritage of around 120 undulate rays in European aquariums, to draw up family trees and help pair up breeding adults to produce healthy offspring.

Marine biologist Jean-Denis Hibbitt, from Weymouth Sea Life Centre, has been managing the UK population since 2010 and is now managing the European breeding and monitoring programme for the species. Since the breeding program was launched there have already been 29 successful births at 10 different aquariums in the UK.

He said: “If it is found that the shrinking population has led to localised inbreeding it would sound alarm bells for the future survival of an iconic species in our waters. Many of those housed at Sea Life centres and other aquariums had changed homes on one or more occasions and details of each individual’s antecedence had become very murky. That’s why this collaboration with Manchester University could be invaluable.”

Named after the wavy lines on their bodies, undulate rays can live for 20 years at depths of between 50 and 200 metres, growing to more than 85 centimetres long.

They feed on crabs and other crustaceans and can be found in the English Channel, off Southern Ireland and across the East Atlantic Ocean to Mediterranean regions, although they have a patchy distribution in the wild.

Evolutionary biologist Dr John Fitzpatrick, who is leading the Manchester team, said identifying the genetic markers to determine whether the rays are related could take as long as two years.

He said: “This approach has never been used to aid captive breeding in sharks and rays before.

“It is exciting for myself and my students to be working on a project with such a worthwhile practical application and strong scientific value.”