#common skate

[imgmuseum]

'Deep Sea Fish' stamps issued by Cuba to mark the 1998 Lisbon Specialised Expo

[ciameth]

Endangered Inktober - Common Skate by Ciameth

Day 7 - Common Skate, Dipturus batis formerly Raja batis IUCN Status: Critically Endangered The Common Skate was formerly one of the most abundant skates in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. It is the world's largest skate species, reaching 2.85 m (9 ft) in length. Lifespan is between 50-100 years, with individuals maturing at around 11 years. Though once abundant, the Common Skate was so heavily overfished through the 20th century it is now extremely uncommon through most of its range, and absent completely from the Adriatic, Baltic, eastern and southern Mediterranean Sea. It continues to be caught and killed as bycatch at unsustainable rates by commercial gillnet and trawl fisheries in Europe.  Expanding marine reserves where commercial fishing is prohibited would help the Common Skate recover.

[fieldmuseumphotoarchives]

It's hard to tell the size of this Common skate skeleton, but they can get to be over 9 feet in length.

© The Field Museum, Z80549.

Common skate, fish skeleton for exhibit screen.

The common skate can grow to 9.5 ft long and weigh 220 lb.

8x10 negative

1937 

[dailyelasmobranch]

Common skate - Dipturus batis

Despite its name, the common skate was uplisted to critically endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2006. In addition to being a popular target for fishing, it is threatened by bycatch. It is believed that an 80-year old classification error has led to the common skate's depletion as fishermen were unaware that they were fishing this species almost to extinction. At its maximum size it can reach over 9ft long and weigh more than 220lbs, making it the largest species of skate in the world.