White skate

White skate are critically endangered and it is prohibited to catch them across this area of Europe. Therefore, this species is a critical fail on the Good Fish Guide.

There are no reference points to determine an overfished or overfishing status. Due to the lack of data collected for white skate, there are no robust indicators to determine the population trends.

White skate are assessed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in Europe, and are Endangered on a global scale. They are a prohibited species and cannot be targeted or landed in southerly European waters where they occur.

ICES considers this stock to be depleted, and there should be zero catch in each of the years 2024-2027. The perception of the stock is based on the lack of recent records of this species in comparison with historical accounts, which documented a more widespread occurrence and localised abundance in parts of the Northeast Atlantic. Historical information indicates that white skate has formerly been targeted in fisheries in the English channel and around Brittany, but present records show only a few isolated instances in scientific surveys.

The species has low resilience with minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years.

Landings data for the species are not considered reliable, often due to misidentification. Issues with both fishers and survey staff being unfamiliar with species needs to be resolved to aid in data collection and appropriate releases of this protected species. Despite landings being prohibited some commercial landings are still estimated by ICES to occur, but these are thought to be overestimated due to coding errors or misidentification issues.

Discarding is known to take place, but ICES cannot quantify the corresponding catch. Discard survival, which is likely to occur, has also not been estimated.

It is prohibited to catch white skate across this area of Europe, and this species is a critical fail on the Good Fish Guide.

White skate is a low productivity species that is considered depleted and vulnerable. It has been listed as a prohibited species since 2010 for EU waters in ICES subareas 6-10 and, since 2021, in all EU and UK waters.

When they are accidently caught, Council Regulation (EC) 2016/72 requires that they shall not be harmed and they should be promptly released. The species is protected in the UK’s Wildlife and Countryside Act which makes it an offence (subject to exceptions) to intentionally kill, injure, or take, possess, or trade in any wild animal listed in Schedule 5. White Skate are also on the OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats as agreed at the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, 2008.

Since populations of white skate are so low in trawl surveys, and little is known about the species, white skates may be accidently recorded incorrectly (as the code to record their capture RJA, is similar to the one for rays Rajidae, called RAJ). Identification of skate and ray species at the point of sale is also difficult as they are commercially valued for their wings and so the bodies are often discarded and the wings skinned.

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

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

White skate are found in the Eastern Atlantic and southwest Indian Ocean (British Isles to Mozambique) and the Mediterranean Sea.

These species are not a target fishery but they can be taken as bycatch in fisheries catching roundfish and flatfish, the quantity of which is not known. Methods of capture can include, but are not limited to:

• Beam trawl
• Otter trawl
• Gill net
• Tangle net

All these methods may have bycatch of other vulnerable species, and trawling can have habitat impacts.

The Skate Working Group recommend that methods to reduce incidental catches are tested and implemented, including the removal of tickler chains in trawl fisheries.

Given the depleted nature of the stock, many fishers and seagoing staff are unfamiliar with this species. Improved identification and educational material should be developed and circulated to fishers to aid in data collection and highlight the need for releasing prohibited species.