extinct skate ???

theguyfulla · 19-11-2009, 09:22

link to a news story
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8367045.stm

ston17 · 19-11-2009, 10:06

That isn't good news

Perhaps Davy Holt can post and tell us his findings over the past few years and whether he's found a decline in stocks of the common skate and if he was aware of the mistaken identities mentioned in the story above.

tightlines all

Preston

Pelamid · 19-11-2009, 10:12

Leaves us questions - which species are we catching in Scottish waters? Or have we been catching both species?

Just done a quick search of other news reports about this http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1117191048.htm

Found a couple more news articles as well - but so far not a report that details how to ID the two species.

When we find out it will be good to look back through old photos. Anyone had any skate that were a bit....

.. "queer"?

Davy Holt · 19-11-2009, 10:38

Hiya,

I must admit I was quite surprised about it when Les sent me the link to it. As a result I spent most of last night trying to find out more about it and didn't find much on how to tell the difference between them. As they were both thought to be the same species I'm guessing their cant be much difference if any in their physical appearance as every Common I've seen looked the same no matter where it came from.

As for the declining stocks for the majority of our waters they are slowly increasing in numbers. They are now turning up in areas where they had been wiped out from in the past.

The main issue now affecting the stocks is bad angling practise such as deep hooking and over stressing the fish (aka Pink skate). Although the fish look as though they swim off OK the very seldom survive more than a few days from the encounter.

ferret0922 · 19-11-2009, 14:12

I went deep sea trawling from Aberdeen for a few years in the early seventies and we always had the distinction between 'Blue Skate and Common Skate or as the salesmen called them Roaker not sure about the spelling.

19-11-2009, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davy Holt

Hiya,

I must admit I was quite surprised about it when Les sent me the link to it. As a result I spent most of last night trying to find out more about it and didn't find much on how to tell the difference between them. As they were both thought to be the same species I'm guessing their cant be much difference if any in their physical appearance as every Common I've seen looked the same no matter where it came from.

As for the declining stocks for the majority of our waters they are slowly increasing in numbers. They are now turning up in areas where they had been wiped out from in the past.

The main issue now affecting the stocks is bad angling practise such as deep hooking and over stressing the fish (aka Pink skate). Although the fish look as though they swim off OK the very seldom survive more than a few days from the encounter.

This might help davy:

from http://www3.mnhn.fr/concarneau/theme....%20Sellos.pdf

Davy Holt · 19-11-2009, 16:10

Hiya,

cheers for that Gus.. I'll get a read at it when I get home.

Having a quick look at the guide it looks like it's D. intermedia I've been tagging for 18 years

Davy Holt · 19-11-2009, 17:39

Hiya Gus,

I've had a read at the PDF and I am now more confused

the picture of D. intermedia in the image you have copied is that of a very immature fish of what we know as the common Skate, the body shape changes to a slightly less angular shape as they mature.

As according to the PDF Dipturus flossada has a max weight of 30kg so at that weight D. intermedia (our Common skate) looks nothing like Dipturus flossada both in body shape & physical features. Also at those sizes our Common skate has a jet black underside that only fades once the fish passes around the 50lb mark. So how they could have been thought to be the same species is a bit of a mystery to me.

So in short from what I can see a "Flapper" skate is what we know to be a Common skate, which we already know to be critically endangered.

Pelamid · 19-11-2009, 17:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferret0922

I went deep sea trawling from Aberdeen for a few years in the early seventies and we always had the distinction between 'Blue Skate and Common Skate or as the salesmen called them Roaker not sure about the spelling.

In East Anglia ROKER is the name given to thornback ray.
Generally in England a thornback ray is called a skate.

lugtondave · 19-11-2009, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davy Holt

Hiya,

The main issue now affecting the stocks is bad angling practise such as deep hooking and over stressing the fish (aka Pink skate). Although the fish look as though they swim off OK the very seldom survive more than a few days from the encounter.

Hi davy, can you elaborate on the "pink skate" please.

regards Dave.