In the Belgian part of the North Sea, there exists a significant knowledge gap concerning the temporal and spatial distribution of the thornback ray, as well as the identification of optimal spawning and nursery grounds. Closing these gaps is crucial to comprehensively understand the species ecological dynamics. The objectives of the study support measurement 5a and 5b of the Belgian Framework program. If feasible, other elasmobranch species that occur (e.g. lesser-spotted dogfish and starry smooth hound) within the BPNS will be tagged to gather additional information on spatio-temporal habitat use of these sensitive species.
