Marine Wildlife

Marine Wildlife: Skate and Ray Conservation Welfare

Skates and rays around UK coasts face welfare threats from bycatch in bottom-trawl fisheries, with slow reproductive rates making populations vulnerable.

Key Facts

UK elasmobranch species include thornback ray, blonde ray, small-eyed ray, and several skate species
Most ray and skate species are slow to mature and produce few offspring, making them vulnerable to overfishing
Common skate (Dipturus batis) was formerly abundant and is now critically endangered in the northeast Atlantic
Bycatch in demersal trawls and entanglement in static gear are primary threats
Live release of non-target rays in good condition reduces bycatch mortality

Welfare Considerations

Rays and skates caught as bycatch in trawls experience prolonged capture stress and physical damage from crushing. Post-release survival depends critically on how long they were in the net and the conditions of release. For critically endangered species like common skate, each bycatch death is conservation-significant as well as individually harmful. Handling and release protocols that maximise post-release survival are the welfare-positive response.

What You Can Do

Learn proper catch-and-release techniques for rays caught recreationally
Support campaigns for reduced bottom-trawling intensity in ray nursery areas
Report common skate captures to the Marine Conservation Society elasmobranch recording scheme
Choose seafood from fisheries with low elasmobranch bycatch rates
Support sustainable seafood certification that includes elasmobranch bycatch criteria