Blue skate

There is zero catch advice for both blue and flapper skate, and it is prohibited to catch them across most of Europe.

Blue skate and flapper skate are assessed together by ICES as part of the common skate complex (Dipturus spp.). Due to limited species-specific data, there are no robust indicators available to determine population trends, and no reference points have been established for biomass or fishing pressure.

Despite this lack of data, landings of the common skate complex have continued. Reported landings from the North Sea peaked at over 25 tonnes in 2018 and were most recently just over 10 tonnes in 2022, with Denmark accounting for the majority of these catches. However, no landings of blue skate or flapper skate have been permitted in UK and EU waters since 2009, with both species designated as prohibited since 2010. Current regulations therefore prohibit fishing, retention on board, transshipment, and landing of these species.

Both species exhibit very low resilience to fishing pressure, with a minimum population doubling time exceeding 14 years. Applying a precautionary approach, ICES advises zero catch for the Celtic Seas and western English Channel from 2025 to 2028, and zero catch for the North Sea, Skagerrak, and Kattegat from 2024 to 2027.

Discarding is known to occur, although discard survival rates have not been estimated.

Both blue skate and flapper skate are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Misidentification is common among members of this genus in the region, including blue skate, flapper skate, Norwegian skate, and longnose skate. Although taxonomic distinction between blue and flapper skate has improved, some misidentification persists, meaning that reported landings are not reliable indicators of species composition or catch.

Management: Critical Fail

It is prohibited to catch blue and flapper skate across this area of Europe. Therefore, it is a critical fail on the Good Fish Guide.

The absence of reference points for the stock limits the development of robust management measures. ICES therefore advises that species-specific landings data should be collected for a wider range of skates and rays to improve understanding of stock status. However, introducing species-specific quotas may increase the risk of misreporting or discarding.

Current UK and EU regulations prohibit the fishing, retention on board, transshipment, or landing of the common skate complex (blue skate and flapper skate) across ICES Division 2.a and subareas 3–4 and 6–10. Both species are also listed as UK Priority Species and are included in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP), which aims to stabilise populations by minimising fishing mortality and securing legal protection in at least five key areas.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) form an important part of this conservation approach. The Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura MPA, designated in 2014 with fisheries measures implemented in 2016, was established following tagging studies identifying it as an important area for both resident and transient flapper skate. The site lists “common skate” as a designated feature, aiming to reduce fishing mortality and protect critical habitat. A further MPA, Red Rocks and Longay, was designated temporarily in March 2021 and made permanent in 2023 to protect flapper skate egg cases in what is believed to be a key spawning and nursery area.

At the point of sale, skate and ray species are difficult to identify, as they are typically processed into wings with the body discarded and skin removed. DNA analyses of skate products in the UK suggest that blue and flapper skate rarely reach the market. Although landings are reported, these species are frequently misidentified and recorded as Norwegian skate or longnose skate.

The ICES Skate Working Group and OSPAR both emphasise the need to improve knowledge of species distributions and critical habitats to support future management. In particular, flapper skate may be more vulnerable to overfishing, highlighting the importance of monitoring and assessing these species separately.

Skates and rays caught in the Northwest waters (ICES subareas 6 and 7) and North Sea waters (ICES subareas 2a, 3a and 4) with all fishing gears, are exempt from the landing obligation, based on their high survivability rates. Any skates and rays that are discarded are required to be released immediately and below the sea surface.

The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law retained by the UK post-Brexit, requires all quota fish to be landed, even if unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to encourage more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve catch reporting. However, compliance is poor, and accurate discard levels are hard to quantify with current monitoring programmes. The UK is in the process of replacing the LO with country-specific Catching Policies.

The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years.

The Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs.

The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:

• An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impacts
• Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidence
• Timeframes for stock recovery
• Improved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)
• Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatch
• Stakeholder engagement

Blue and flapper skate can be caught using different fishing methods. As this species is a Fish to Avoid, capture method impacts have not been scored.

Blue and flapper skate occur in the Northeast Atlantic, ranging from Iceland to the British Isles. Historically, their distribution was much wider, extending into the Mediterranean Sea and along the coast of North Africa, but this range is believed to have contracted significantly due to fishing pressure.

These species are not targeted commercially but are taken as bycatch in fisheries targeting roundfish and flatfish, although the quantities caught are not well quantified. They may be captured by a range of fishing methods, including beam trawls, otter trawls, gillnets, and tangle nets. All of these gears can also result in bycatch of other vulnerable species, while mobile gears such as trawls may additionally impact benthic habitats.

The ICES Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes recommends that mitigation measures to reduce incidental catches are trialled and implemented, such as modifying fishing gear (e.g. removing tickler chains in trawl fisheries).