Skate: Atlantic

Raja fish, imitation scallop, briar skate, common skate, summer skate, hedgehog skate, tobacco-box skate, leopard skate, smooth-tailed skate, prickly skate, starry skate, eyed skate, big skate, spotted skate

N/A

Seven species of skate are taken in groundfish trawl fisheries off the northeastern seaboard of the United States. Formerly often discarded as “trash fish”, skates have become increasingly important as traditional targets of the New England groundfish fishery (notably cod and haddock) have become depleted. Today’s commercial skate fishery markets skates as food (skate wings) and as bait (used primarily in East Coast lobster fisheries).

Most of these skates have been little studied, and commercial catch and effort data were seldom collected before 2003.

Otter trawling is the fishing method used to catch the majority of skates. Trawling causes severe disturbance to seafloor habitat, and trawl nets often take a heavy bycatch of unmarketable, illegal, or undersized individuals, usually discarded dead or dying.

Basic biological parameters—including fecundity, age at maturity, age/growth curves, and natural mortality—are unknown or uncertain for the seven species of the Northeast skate complex. The few studies that have been published (on winter skate and barndoor skate) show the animals have very low fecundity and slow maturity compared to bony fishes. Sharks, rays, and other relatives of the skates have proven inherently vulnerable to overfishing, and peer-reviewed literature links the decline of several large-bodied skate species to the onset of intensive fishing. These natural characteristics make skates vulnerable to fishing pressure, which is a high conservation concern.

Given the many unknowns about skate stock structure and fishing mortality, it is difficult for managers to accurately assess skate stock status. The parameters for “overfished” or “overfishing” employed by managers are currently best guesses, made in the face of a severe shortage of relevant data.

Little, clearnose, and rosette skates all have stock status rankings of low. Barndoor, winter, and smooth skates are all ranked high, while the thorny skate has a stock status of “critical”.

None of these rankings would ultimately change the overall rank of an individual skate species, so SeaChoice has this criterion ranked as a “high” conservation concern.

The vast majority (97.7%) of skates are caught by otter trawling, an unselective method. Whether skates are taken as incidental catch in fisheries targeting groundfish, monkfish, or scallops, or in the directed bait fishery, otter trawling entails moderate bycatch and discards of many species.

Managers have no concern about interactions with protected species in this fishery or in the directed skate bait trawl fishery; however, otter trawling remains an unselective fishing method, and bycatch of various unmarketable species will undoubtedly continue even as skate becomes part of the regulated catch. For this reason, bycatch ranks a “moderate” conservation concern for the Northeast skate complex.

Based on the published literature noting the adverse effects of trawling on the various habitat types where skates occur, as well as the substantial amount of fishing effort along the Northeast’s continental shelf over the last 50 years, it has been concluded that trawling for benthic species (including skates) has likely substantially altered or damaged a large portion of the Northeast’s seabed. The ability of the habitat to recover from trawling damage is largely unknown. Bottom trawling is suspected of causing severe adverse impact to muddy and rocky habitats off New England, where approximately 60% of the skates landed are taken. Ecosystem effects are uncertain, but likely include changes in relative species abundance and changes in trophic relationships. These factors are all a high conservation concern.

Until recently, Northeast fisheries managers largely ignored skates. While mangers have tracked skate abundance via groundfish surveys since 1963, the skate fishery was unregulated before 2003, and basic fisheries-dependent (catch and effort) data were never collected. This means that management is currently unable to define basic regulatory parameters. However, over the past four years, state and federal authorities have taken significant steps to improve skate management. The first Northeast skate stock assessment was published in 2001, and the first Fishery Management Plan for Northeast skates was implemented in March 2003.

It will be some years before it can be determined whether these new measures reverse the decline of Northeast skates. Because the new management measures have been in place only a short time, and because previous management practices failed to prevent the critical decline of the barndoor and thorny skates and the relative depletion of the smooth and winter skates, management is rated as “moderately effective”.

Is this fish skate?

All US Atlantic skate species should be avoided

Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 3 meals per month

No.