Skate, common | Good Fish Guide | The consumer guide to sustainable seafood

Common name - Skate, common

Scientific name - Dipturus batis

Average rating

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Consumer Information

The term 'Skates and Rays' can be a bit confusing here in Britain. What are traditionally known in Britain as 'rays' are, scientifically or biologically speaking, 'skates'. While the rays (which are technically skates!) sold in fishmongers throughout Britain - Spotted, Smalled-eyed, Cuckoo, Blonde etc - belong to the family Rajidae, not all rays found in British waters belong to this family. Two species of Torpedo Rays (Torpedinidae); 2 species of Whiptail Stingrays (Dasyatidae); the Common Eagle Ray (Myliobatidae) ; and Giant Devil Ray (Mobulidae) are also either resident or visitors to our waters! For more information see: http://www.sharktrust.org. Skates and rays generally available for consumption however do belong to the same family, Rajidae, and are large flat fish, dwelling close to the sea floor. Like sharks they have cartilage skeletons instead of bone. Skates tend to be large with long snouts, while rays are smaller species and have short snouts. They are both slow to grow and breed. Most are uncommon or rare. Avoid eating all but the smaller, faster growing species such as spotted and cuckoo ray fished in the North Sea where abundance is estimated to be increasing and can be considered as potentially sustainable at present. Avoid eating these species below the size at which they mature and during their breeding season. For detailed information, see www.fishonline.org. Skate and ray species are all generally sold as 'skate', but all true Skate should be completely avoided. Whole ray are available as are fresh or frozen wings and knobs (cheeks).

Summary

Common skate is assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN - World Conservation Union and is also listed by OSPAR as a threatened and declining species. Targeting, retaining, transhiping and landing Common skate is now prohibited under EU law. Avoid eating. In general, skates and rays are inherently vulnerable to overfishing due to slow growth rates, late maturation and low fecundity. In addition, little is known about the stock status of many individual species because they have been historically landed under the generic skates and rays category. Only fisheries for the smaller, faster growing species such as spotted and cuckoo fished in the North Sea where abundance is estimated to be increasing can be considered as potentially sustainable at present. Avoid eating these species below the size at which they mature: spotted ray males mature at a length of about 54cm and females at about 57cm (both between 3 to 8 years old); cuckoo ray males and females mature at between 54 to 59cm in length when approximately 4 years old.

Alternatives

(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)

No alternatives found.

Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species.