Common skate  (Dipturus batis)

The common skate is the largest European ray (1). The undersurface is dark grey with black spots or stripes and the uppersurface is more of a greenish brown colour (3), often with lighter mottling (5). The snout is pointed and the flattened body has a rhombic shape with sharp corners (4), and slightly concave outer edges to the wings (3). There is a row of 12 - 18 thorns along the tail (4).

The common skate is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Madeira and northern Morocco, north to Iceland and Norway. Despite its widespread distribution, this species is extremely scarce in European waters and may already have disappeared from the Irish Sea (2).

Occurs over firm ground in coastal shelf waters (3), from depths down to 200 metres and occasionally as deep as 600 metres (2).

The common skate is often seen travelling in same sex/age groups (3), near to the sea floor (4). Mating occurs mainly in the spring and during copulation there is a distinct embrace between males and females (4). The female then lays long oblong egg capsules, which are anchored into the muddy or sandy substrate by their stiff pointed horns (4). An individual will lay around 40 eggs a year (4). Males only reach sexual maturity once they have reached a length of 125 cm, which corresponds to around 10 years of age (2). The common skate is thought to live for as long as 50 years (2), and it takes around 14 years for the population to double in size (4).

Common skates feed on a variety of bottom dwelling organisms but preferentially consume fish (4). Unlike most other skates, these fish are active by both day and night (5).

Common skates are long-lived and slow to mature, factors that make them particularly vulnerable to both direct and accidental targeting by the fishing industry (2). During the mid 20th Century, skates and rays made up a considerable amount of commercial fishing in the United Kingdom (6). The population of common skates has seen a drastic decline in European waters following this intensive fishing pressure, making a mockery of its name. Although no longer targeted in the majority of areas, as the population is too low, these fish are still threatened by fisheries bycatch (2).

A UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) Species, the common skate is the subject of an Action Plan that aims to stabilise key populations by the year 2004 and allow skates to migrate to areas where they are scarce, by minimising the fishing pressure on the species (2). Further research on the distribution of the species and the monitoring of life-cycles, growth and so on will also need to be undertaken in order to successfully manage the recovery of this fish (2).

To find out more about the common skate see:

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For further information on the conservation of sharks and rays see:

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