The distribution of the juvenile stages and eggcases of skates (Rajidae) around the British Isles

Skates (Rajidae) include species of conservation and commercial importance, but there is limited information regarding their ecologically important habitats, including spawning and nursery areas, in northern European seas. Data on the distribution, relative abundance and length composition of skates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquatic conservation 2024-04, Vol.34 (4), p.n/a
Main Authors: Ellis, Jim R., Gordon, Cat A., Allen, Harriet L., Silva, Joana F., Bird, Christopher, Johnston, Graham, O'Connor, Bríd, McCully Phillips, Sophy R., Hood, Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Benthos collecting devices
citizen science
elasmobranch
Environmental planning
essential fish habitat
Fisheries
Fisheries management
Fishery management
Hatching
Islands
Juveniles
Marine fishes
Marine protected areas
Marine resources
northeast Atlantic
Nurseries
Nursery grounds
Offshore
Rajidae
Rajiformes
Relative abundance
Spatial planning
Spawning
Species
trawl surveys
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Summary:Skates (Rajidae) include species of conservation and commercial importance, but there is limited information regarding their ecologically important habitats, including spawning and nursery areas, in northern European seas. Data on the distribution, relative abundance and length composition of skates were collated from scientific trawl surveys, and based on length‐frequency information, length‐at‐hatching and length‐at‐maturity, skates were allocated to length‐based categories representing early‐juvenile stages (EJS) and mid‐juvenile stages (MJS). Citizen science data were used to inform on the occurrence of eggcases. The Great Eggcase Hunt (starting in 2003) citizen science recording project collects georeferenced data for elasmobranch eggcases, primarily from around the British Isles. This provided verified species‐specific data for a total of 227,407 specimens from 11 skate species. Purse Search Ireland (starting in 2005) provided a further 2491 records of 10 skate species from around Ireland. The most frequently observed skate eggcases were from the genus Raja and occurred around much of the British Isles. The EJS and MJS of such species were observed most frequently in inshore waters. Data for EJS were more limited for Raja microocellata and Raja undulata, indicating that the EJS of these species occur in shallower (
ISSN:1052-7613
1099-0755
DOI:10.1002/aqc.4149