Spotlight falls on threatened skate
Investigation into behaviour of fish
Published:
A MAJOR study into the distribution of the threatened common skate will take place in Argyll and Highland waters this summer.
The fish can grow up to 10ft and live up to 100 years.
It was once an important part of the inshore commercial fishery, but over-fishing resulted in it being considered commercially extinct in most coastal areas of the UK by the early 1970s.
The fish are threatened as they sometimes get caught up in static and towed fishing gear.
They can recover from the trauma of capture if released quickly and if the right fishing tackle is used to prevent damage when they are targeted for sport.
James Thorburn, who is studying for an MSc at Heriot-Watt University, will spend the summer capturing and tagging common skate with skippers from Oban, Lochaline, Tobermory and Crinan.
Mr Thorburn will also be analysing for the first time information recorded by previous tag and recapture programmes by local fishermen.
He said: “The common skate is a fascinating fish living in deep, dark water and growing to a huge size over a similar lifetime to our own.
“They are the largest species of skate in Europe and are flat, diamond-shaped fishes with a long straight tail and a cartilaginous skeleton like a shark.
“They are slow-growing and only produce about 40 eggs a year, and therefore have a very slow population growth.
“The data provided by the tag and recapture programme in Argyll and Highland offers a unique and exciting opportunity to learn about the behaviour of the species in what may be its final refuge – I can't wait to get started."
Mr Thorburn will be based at the offices of Scottish Natural Heritage in Glencruitten Road, Oban.
The project is also supported by the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative for the Sound of Mull and Argyll and Bute Council's Local Biodiversity Project.
If you have any information to offer to the project, would like to take part in the tag and recapture programme or receive a copy of the final report, please contact James Thorburn or Jane Dodd at Scottish Natural Heritage in Oban on 01631 567228.
