The greatest threat to the leopard torpedo is thought to be by-catch. Areas of the leopard torpedo's distribution are heavily fished, in particular with shrimp trawls, and species that dwell on the ocean bottom are particularly vulnerable to being captured in fishing trawls. It is presumed that when accidentally captured, the leopard torpedo is thrown back into the water, but whether many survive this ordeal is unknown. A lack of data means that it is not known whether leopard torpedo numbers have already decreased due to by-catch, but with shrimp trawl fisheries unlikely to lessen or stop in the future, a decline in leopard torpedo populations seems likely (1).