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Flapper skate

Fish · Last reviewed 2026-08-16

One of the largest fish in British waters and among the most threatened — a two-metre skate that was fished out of most of its range, survives in strongholds off western Scotland, and is now almost entirely a catch-and-release fishery.

Safety

Fish welfare — Can cause serious injury or death

A Critically Endangered fish that matures at around a decade, produces a handful of very large eggs a year, and shows strong site fidelity so that local losses are not replaced. A long fight, a lift by the wings or tail, minutes on a hot deck, or an unsupported hold for a photograph can kill an animal that swam away apparently healthy — and the largest fish, the ones most likely to be lifted, are mature females.

What reduces it: Tackle capable of ending the fight quickly. Unhook alongside and release in the water wherever possible. Never lift by wings, tail or gill openings; support the entire disc. Air exposure in seconds. Keep the fish wet and off hot dry surfaces. Cut the trace on an unreachable hook. Photograph for a recording scheme rather than posing the fish.

Worse when:

  • Fishing light tackle, which lengthens the fight on an animal that fights as dead weight.
  • Photographing large fish, which is where the unsupported lifting happens.
  • Warm weather and dry decks.
  • Any handling of the largest fish, which are mature females.

Injury while handling fish — Can cause injury needing treatment

A very large, heavy animal with crushing jaws built to break crab and lobster shell, and thorns along the tail. Trying to lift or restrain one by hand on a moving boat risks crushed fingers, cuts from thorns, and back and limb injuries from the weight itself.

What reduces it: Do not attempt to lift a large skate by hand. Work it alongside and unhook in the water using a T-bar or long-nosed pliers, with hands well clear of the mouth. Where a fish must be handled, use enough people and support the disc rather than gripping.

Worse when:

  • Small boats and moving decks.
  • Attempting to lift a fish for a photograph.
  • Working alone rather than with a skipper and crew who do this routinely.

Precautions that always apply here

  • Wet your hands before touching a fish. Dry hands strip the protective mucus layer that keeps infection out.
  • Support the fish's weight along its body, keep it out of the water for as short a time as possible, and hold it over something soft.
  • Keep fingers out of the gills and clear of the teeth. Gill damage is usually fatal to the fish, and several species will remove skin from a finger.
  • If a hook goes past the barb into a person, cut the line, leave the hook where it is, and get medical help. Pulling it back out does far more damage than pushing it through under proper care.

The flapper skate is the biggest thing most British anglers will ever hook. It exceeds two metres in length, the largest are heavier than the angler holding the rod, and it is a genuinely ancient-looking animal that lives for decades.

IT USED TO BE CALLED THE COMMON SKATE, AND BOTH WORDS WERE WRONG. It is not common — it was fished out of the Irish Sea, the North Sea and much of its former range, and it survives in strongholds, principally off the west coast of Scotland. And 'common skate' turned out not to be one species at all: what was recorded under that name is now understood to comprise at least two, the flapper skate and the blue skate, separated relatively recently. Older records, older books and older claimed captures generally cannot be assigned between them, and FishingHQ does not pretend otherwise.

IT IS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, and the reason is written into its biology. It matures at something like a decade, it lays a small number of very large eggs, and its generation time is measured in years the way a trawl fishery's is measured in tows.

WHICH MAKES THE ANGLING ETHICS UNUSUALLY SIMPLE. Where this fish is fished for at all, it is fished for on a return-everything basis, and the entire skill of the fishery is getting a very large animal to the boat, unhooked and back down without hurting it.

Identification

FishingHQ holds no photograph of this species whose identity and licensing it can vouch for, so it is not showing one. Misidentified fish photographs teach identification wrongly, and a picture with an unchecked caption would be worse than none. The identification points below are what to look at instead.

Scientific name
Dipturus intermedius
Family
Rajidae
Water
Saltwater
Conservation status
Critically Endangered
Regions
Britain & Ireland, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Arctic & Subarctic
  • SIZE ALONE NEARLY SETTLES IT. Nothing else in British waters is a ray-shaped fish of well over 1.5 m and up to and beyond 2 m. A skate of that size is a Dipturus.
  • A LONG, POINTED, CONCAVE SNOUT — the leading edges of the disc are distinctly hollowed on either side of a projecting snout, giving an angular, arrow-like outline quite unlike the rounded discs of the Raja rays.
  • Olive-brown to greyish above, often with scattered pale spots, and a pale underside that is characteristically blotched and mottled with dark markings and conspicuous dark pores.
  • Thorns along the tail, and thorn patterns on the back that vary with age — juveniles are considerably smoother than mature fish.
  • No venomous spine, as in all Rajidae.
  • SEPARATING FLAPPER FROM BLUE SKATE IS GENUINELY DIFFICULT and rests on proportions, snout shape, underside markings and thorn arrangement rather than on any single obvious character. Where identity matters, photograph the whole fish and both surfaces and submit it to a recording scheme rather than deciding on the boat.

Size

Typical
1.2–1.8 m total length for rod-caught fish.
Large
Over 2 m, and fish of that length are very heavy indeed.

Exceptional: Around 2.5 m is the reported upper end for the species, with females the larger sex. Fish approaching it are old animals and are among the largest fish in British seas.

Lifecycle and reproduction

Oviparous, and on a scale that matches the animal. The female lays very large, tough, horned egg capsules — among the largest produced by any fish in British waters, a substantial object by any measure — onto the seabed, where the embryo develops on its yolk for a long period commonly reported to exceed a year. The young emerge as fully formed skates already more than 20 cm across. Maturity is reached at something in the region of a decade, adults are long-lived, and the number of eggs a female produces in a year is small. Generation time is therefore measured in many years, and this is the entire explanation for the species' status.

Females mature late and large and produce a small number of very large eggs per year, deposited on specific seabed grounds. Egg-laying appears to be concentrated in particular areas rather than spread across the range, which means a small number of identifiable sites carry a disproportionate share of the species' reproduction and are correspondingly vulnerable to seabed disturbance. Combined with maturity at around a decade, this produces a species that cannot recolonise ground quickly and has not recolonised the seas it was removed from.

Feeding and senses

A large bottom predator taking fish and crustaceans — gadoids, flatfish, other elasmobranchs including smaller skates and dogfish, crabs and lobsters. It hunts by settling over prey and trapping it beneath the disc, and it is a genuinely capable predator rather than a scavenger of scraps. In angling terms the bait is a large fish bait, and the fish's willingness to take one is not the difficulty; everything difficult about the fishery comes afterwards.

Scent and electroreception, as in all skates, operating in the deep, dark water this species inhabits. The ampullae of Lorenzini on the underside and around the snout detect the electric fields of living prey buried in or lying on the seabed, and the conspicuous dark pores visible on a skate's pale underside are part of that system. Vision plays little role at the depths involved.

Through the year

Present year-round in its strongholds rather than migrating seasonally in the way tope or blonde rays do. Individuals show strong site fidelity — tagging has repeatedly recaptured the same fish in the same restricted areas over long periods — which is both why the strongholds exist and why they are fragile: a population that stays put can be removed from a place and will not simply be replaced from elsewhere.

Distribution

North-east Atlantic, formerly widespread from Iceland and Norway south to Madeira and across the shelf seas around the British Isles. Now severely reduced across most of that range, having been effectively extirpated from the Irish Sea, much of the North Sea and the English Channel, and surviving principally in strongholds off western Scotland, around Orkney and in parts of Irish and Norwegian waters. Occupies deep water, sea lochs and shelf ground. Listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered, and the loss of the species from whole seas within living memory is unusually well documented.

This is a biological range — where the species occurs, not a prediction that you will catch one. To browse the fishing geography FishingHQ holds, start at fishing places.

Why anglers care

The largest fish an ordinary British angler can realistically hook, and the subject of a specialised charter fishery in western Scotland — notably the sea lochs and sounds of Argyll and the waters around Orkney — that operates on a strict catch-and-release basis and contributes tagging data. It is also the species where angling has arguably done the most good: skate anglers and skippers have supplied a substantial body of tagging and recapture information about a Critically Endangered animal that would otherwise be very difficult to study. That contribution depends entirely on fish being returned in good condition, which is why the handling section is the most important thing on this page.

Handling and returning

This is a very large, heavy, slow-growing, Critically Endangered animal and the handling is the whole of the ethics. DO NOT BRING ONE INTO A BOAT IF IT CAN BE AVOIDED. The established practice in the fishery is to work the fish alongside, unhook it in the water, and release it there. Where a fish must be handled, SUPPORT THE ENTIRE DISC — never lift a skate by the wings, by the tail, or by the gill openings, and never allow a large one to hang unsupported, because the body is supported by cartilage and by water and its own weight injures it out of that water. Keep the fight as short as the tackle allows: an exhausted skate is a skate that may not recover. Keep air exposure to seconds, keep the fish wet, and keep the underside off hot or dry surfaces. Use a T-bar or long-nosed pliers, keep hands clear of the mouth, which crushes crabs and lobsters, and mind the thorns along the tail. If the hook cannot be reached, cut the trace close. Photograph the fish in the water where possible; if identity matters for recording, photograph both surfaces rather than deciding the species on the boat. There is no swim bladder, so a fish returned properly goes back down under its own power.

The name that turned out to be two species, and a fish removed from whole seas

The flapper skate is a lesson in how a fishery can lose an animal before anybody has finished working out what it is.

IT WAS CALLED THE COMMON SKATE. That name is in every old British angling book, on old record lists, and on the labels of fish that were landed in quantity from the Irish Sea and the North Sea within living memory.

IT WAS NOT COMMON FOR LONG. Large skates are extremely vulnerable to trawling: big, bottom-living, readily caught, mature at around a decade, and producing a handful of eggs a year. The species was effectively removed from the Irish Sea, from much of the North Sea and from the English Channel, and it has not come back.

AND IT WAS NOT ONE SPECIES. What was recorded as the common skate is now understood to comprise at least two — the flapper skate and the blue skate — separated relatively recently. The practical consequence is uncomfortable and worth stating plainly: historical records, old books, old captures and old distribution maps generally cannot be assigned between them. A great deal of what is written about 'the common skate' is about a species complex, and FishingHQ does not pretend to know which fish those older records referred to.

SEPARATING THE TWO IN THE HAND IS GENUINELY DIFFICULT, resting on proportions, snout shape, underside markings and thorn arrangement rather than on one obvious character. The honest advice is not a field key: photograph the whole fish, both surfaces, and submit it to a recording scheme rather than deciding on a moving deck.

WHAT SURVIVES IS STRONGHOLDS. Western Scotland — the sea lochs and sounds of Argyll particularly — Orkney, parts of Irish waters and Norwegian waters. These are not the remains of a continuous distribution; they are specific places where the fish persisted.

AND SITE FIDELITY IS WHY THEY ARE BOTH REAL AND FRAGILE. Tagging has repeatedly recaptured the same individual skates in the same restricted areas over long periods. A fish that stays put builds a local population that anglers and scientists can find and study. It also means that a place emptied of skate does not refill from next door, because there is no meaningful movement to refill it.

THAT IS THE WHOLE ARGUMENT FOR HOW THIS FISHERY IS CONDUCTED, and it is not sentiment. A species that matures at a decade, lays a few very large eggs, stays in one place and has already been removed from most of its range is one where every individual returned alive is a material contribution.

NOTHING HERE STATES WHETHER THIS FISH MAY BE KEPT, what minimum size applies, or whether it is protected where you are fishing. Several British skates and rays are protected in some administrations and not in others, the designations are revised, and the answer differs between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland. Ask the fisheries authority for the water you are fishing before you go.

Scientific evidence

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, which is a statement about the species rather than about any managed stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on north-east Atlantic elasmobranch stocks, including stock state and the basis for management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status and designation of species and habitats in a UK context, and the framework under which some species are protected.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • Shark Trust identification guides and angling best practice — The Shark Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Identification characters separating the British skates and rays, and the handling, unhooking and release practice asked of anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Getting a two-metre skate back down alive

Everything difficult about skate fishing happens after the fish is beaten, and the fish being Critically Endangered is what makes it worth doing properly.

THE FIGHT IS DEAD WEIGHT AND SUCTION. A large skate clamps to the bottom, and lifting it is closer to lifting a heavy object than to playing a fish. Tackle has to be capable of it; light gear here produces a very long fight and an exhausted animal, and exhaustion is what kills released elasmobranchs.

SO KEEP IT SHORT. A shorter fight on adequate tackle is the welfare choice, not the unsporting one.

DO NOT BRING IT ABOARD IF YOU CAN AVOID IT. The established practice in the Scottish fishery is to bring the fish alongside, unhook it in the water and let it go from there. A very large skate lifted onto a deck is being asked to support its own weight in air, and it is not built to.

IF IT MUST BE HANDLED, SUPPORT THE WHOLE DISC. Never lift a skate by the wings. Never by the tail. Never by the gill openings. Never let one hang. The body is cartilage supported by water, and a two-metre animal held wrongly for a photograph can be injured internally in a way nothing visible will show.

SECONDS, NOT MINUTES, OUT OF WATER. Keep the fish wet. Keep the pale underside off hot dry decks.

USE TOOLS AND MIND THE ANATOMY. A T-bar or long-nosed pliers for the hook. Hands clear of the mouth, which is built to crush crabs and lobsters. Thorns along the tail. Cut the trace close if the hook cannot be reached — a trace left in a fish is a far better outcome than a fish excavated.

NO SWIM BLADDER MEANS RELEASE ACTUALLY WORKS, which is the encouraging half of all this. A skate returned in good condition swims back down under its own power, and tagging shows recaptured fish surviving and being caught again years later. This is not a species where release is a gesture.

PHOTOGRAPH FOR RECORDING RATHER THAN FOR TROPHY. Both surfaces, whole fish, in the water where possible. Given that flapper and blue skate cannot reliably be told apart on a deck, a good photograph submitted to a recording scheme is worth more than a confident identification.

AND THE LARGEST FISH ARE FEMALES. As in most elasmobranchs, the biggest skate is a mature female — precisely the individual whose loss costs the population most, and precisely the one somebody most wants to lift up for a picture.

NOTHING HERE STATES WHETHER THIS FISH MAY BE KEPT, what minimum size applies, or whether it is protected where you are fishing. Several British skates and rays are protected in some administrations and not in others, the designations are revised, and the answer differs between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland. Ask the fisheries authority for the water you are fishing before you go.

Authoritative guidance

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Shark Trust identification guides and angling best practice — The Shark Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Identification characters separating the British skates and rays, and the handling, unhooking and release practice asked of anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the assessment behind it, which is a statement about the species rather than about any managed stock.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, tackle convention and species behaviour.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status and designation of species and habitats in a UK context, and the framework under which some species are protected.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Where to go next

Similar and related fish

What these connections rest on (1)

Scientific evidence — 1 connection

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • Small-spotted catshark

    A dietary claim made at SPECIES level because the reference works identify the prey to species: the evidence is about Scyliorhinus canicula specifically, which is what a preys_on edge against that record asserts.

    • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: The diet of the British sharks, skates and rays as set out in the species accounts, in which Scyliorhinus canicula is identified to species among the recorded prey.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Feeding habits and prey composition for the eastern Atlantic elasmobranchs, including the occurrence of Scyliorhinus canicula in the diet.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

How it is caught

What these connections rest on (2)

Practitioner consensus — 2 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Deep-drop fishing

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Ledgering

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Gear for this fish

What these connections rest on (1)

Practitioner consensus — 1 connection

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Sea deadbaits

    A bait joined to the quarry it is conventionally used for. Convention, recorded as convention.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Where it lives

What these connections rest on (2)

Scientific evidence — 2 connections

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • Inshore ground

    A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.

    • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Open ocean

    A distributional claim about where a species is found, which rests on the standard regional reference works rather than on angling report.

    • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Understanding this fish

What these connections rest on (2)

Scientific evidence — 2 connections

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • Decapod crustaceans as prey

    A dietary claim recorded at GROUP level against a modelled prey concept, because the sources describe the prey as a group and selecting a species for the edge to point at would assert a precision the evidence does not carry.

    • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • What actually happens to a released fish

    A record pointing at the mechanism that explains its own behaviour, so the explanation lives once rather than on every species page.

    • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat association, identification and biology of the sharks, skates and rays of the British Isles and north-west Europe.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic characters, habitat and depth range as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Told apart from

What these connections rest on (1)

Authoritative guidance — 1 connection

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Thornback ray

    Two records a reader must hold together, because the animals are confused with one another in the hand and the consequences of getting it wrong are not symmetrical.

    • Shark Trust identification guides and angling best practice — The Shark Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Identification characters separating the British sharks, skates and rays, and the handling, unhooking and release practice asked of anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Safety reading

What these connections rest on (1)

Authoritative guidance — 1 connection

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Handling fish safely

    A hazard the species genuinely presents, joined to the record that explains how to manage it.

    • Shark Trust identification guides and angling best practice — The Shark Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Identification characters separating the British sharks, skates and rays, and the handling, unhooking and release practice asked of anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Rules and access

What these connections rest on (1)

Authoritative guidance — 1 connection

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Protected species, and why some fish may not be taken

    A pointer to the regulatory FRAMEWORK that applies to this species, which is a different claim from stating what the rule currently is. FishingHQ names the framework and the authority and stops.

    • JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status and designation of species in a UK context, and the framework under which some species are protected.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Environment and conservation

What these connections rest on (2)

Scientific evidence — 2 connections

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • Fish stocks and sustainability

    A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.

    • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Marine protected areas and spearfishing

    A conservation claim about a species with a documented assessment, joined to the environmental issue it exemplifies.

    • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category and the population assessment behind it for the species concerned.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Check the rules before you fish

Fishing laws, bylaws, access rules, seasons, bait restrictions and permitted methods vary by location and can change. Check the current rules from the relevant authority and the water you intend to fish before fishing.

Check with:

  • Current national or regional law for where you are fishing
  • Current local bylaws
  • The relevant fisheries authority
  • The landowner, club or fishery whose water it is
  • Any restrictions specific to the species or the method you intend to use

Sources for this page

  • The Fishes of the British Isles and North-West Europe — Macmillan, 1969 (Reference work)Relied on for: Distribution, habitat, identification characters and biology of the fishes of the British Isles and north-west Europe, including the skates and rays.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Diagnostic identification characters, family placement, depth range and distribution as set out in the FAO species identification sheets for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature (Conservation authority)Relied on for: The global Red List category for this species and the population assessment behind it, as published in the assessment dated 02 April 2021. Recorded with its date because a Red List category is revised, and a status with no date is a claim with no shelf life.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • Shark Trust identification guides and angling best practice — The Shark Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Identification characters separating the British skates and rays, and the handling, unhooking and release practice asked of anglers.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort — International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Scientific advice on north-east Atlantic elasmobranch stocks, including stock state and the basis for management advice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • Cefas science, advice and data on marine and freshwater environments — Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: UK marine fisheries science: survey data, distribution and elasmobranch stock monitoring in UK waters.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • JNCC species and habitat conservation advice — Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Conservation status and designation of species and habitats in a UK context, and the framework under which some species are protected.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.

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