Guitarfish

Introduction

The guitarfish-Serol are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. This most primitive of rays (along with thornback rays) is also one of the best eating.

It has relatively narrow “wings” which are useless for eating; instead, it has a long, thick broad-based tail that is full of meat. Guitarfish-Serol are delicious and give you a unique culinary experience.

Flavor Profile

Guitarfish has a mild and sweet flavor and turns out to be very tender and flaky.

Nomenclature

English Name: Guitarfish
Local Name: Rabba, Kairi, Serol
Scientific Name: Rhinobatos punctifer

Habitat

Guitarfish often bury themselves in the sand, mud, or weedy bottoms near patch reefs. They can also be found along beaches anywhere from the shoreline to as far out as 98 feet deep (30 meters) and are believed to tolerate fresh, brackish, and marine water.

Catching Method

Guitarfish is caught using bottom trawls, gillnets, and line gears.

Physical Attributes

Guitarfish are dorso-ventrally flattened like a skate or ray and the tail has two dorsal fins similar to most sharks. The pectoral fins are large and fused to the body, forming small ray-like wings.

Appearance

Guitarfish have the appearance of both a shark and a skate. The color has shades of brown and grey.

Size

On average, the Guitarfish size range is from 2 kg to 15 kg per fish. However, other sizes are also occasionally available.