The skate is found in deep waters and it’s not clear how fisheries might threaten the species.
The Madagascar Ridge, in the southwestern Indian Ocean , is a remote, elevated area of seabed south of Madagascar . In 2016, my colleagues and I discovered a new cartilaginous fish species in its deep waters; a catshark that we named Bach’s catshark after German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
Though this is exciting it also raises concerns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species estimates that, collectively and globally, 37% of shark, skate and ray species are currently threatened with extinction. Some skates are caught in targeted fisheries but the main threat they face is becoming by-catch of fisheries targeting bony fishes.
Skates The smallest skate, the Cuban pygmy skate reaches a tiny maximum total length of 23 cm. The largest, the Roughskin skate can grow to a total length of 264 cm. In 1988/89, a large expedition was carried out by the Russian research vessel Vityaz, which sampled many areas in the deep western Indian Ocean, and during which a large number of interesting cartilaginous fish species were found. I became interested in this material more than a decade ago and began researching the fish species that live on the floor of the Madagascar Ridge.
The claspers are another important characteristic. These are paired organs that male cartilaginous fish use to assist the transfer of sperm into the body of the female during copulation.
Deep Sea Fishing Indian Ocean Madagascar Marine Conservation Natural World Rays Sharks Skates Somalia Creature Features
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