Scientists have been saying for decades that human activity is having a catastrophic effect on the world around us.

It’s not that no one believes them, but they haven’t been able to draw a direct link between humans and the extinction of a specific species.

At least, not until now.

The species is the Java Stingaree (Urolophus javanicus). The scientists at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in Australian made the declaration after previously updating it as a threatened species.

The Java Stingaree, a ray species, is the first marine fish extinct due to human activity, concluded the @CDUni in a recently published assessment. https://t.co/7lPTrwFVPM#ExtinctionEndsHere @IUCNRedList

— IUCN Species Survival Commission (@IUCNssc) December 18, 2023

The ray is about the size of a dinner plate and had only previously been seen once before, in 1862.

“Intensive and generally unregulated fishing is likely the major threat resulting in the depletion of the Java Stingaree population, with coastal fish catches in the Java Sea already declining by the 1870s.”

The researchers blame the degeneration of the fish’s native environment.

“The northern coast of Java, particularly Jakarta bay where the species was known to occur, is also heavily industrialised, with extensive, long-term habitat loss and degradation. These impacts were severe enough to unfortunately cause the extinction of this species.”

All of the known data on the species led to the conclusion that the species has died out due to human activity in the area.

“A range of fish landing sites along the northern coast of Java and across Indonesia have been monitored extensively but they have not recorded the Java Stingaree. The Java Stingaree was a unique dinner plate-sized ray with no similar species in Java and the fact that it has not been found during innumerable surveys confirms its extinction.”

This is bad news, and coming on the heels of the announcement that another marine mammal, the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), is on the verge of extinction, it seems even more foreboding.

“The Java Stingaree being named as extinct is a warning sign for everyone across the world that we must protect threatened marine species. We must think about appropriate management strategies like protecting habitat and reducing overfishing while also securing the livelihoods of people reliant on fish resources.”

It seems as if we are definitely living in unprecedented times.

Most days, it doesn’t seem as if that’s a good thing.