Grantee: Orkney Skate Trust

Duration:  12 months (May 2025 – May 2026) 

 

Background

The flapper skate, and blue skate, are unique fish species listed as ‘critically endangered’ in European waters.

Flapper skates (Dipturus intermedius) are thought to be endemic to the Northeast Atlantic, with population strongholds on the West Coast of Scotland, in particular the Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA. They are ocean giants, measuring up to 2.85m in length and 100kg in weight, with the ability to live for over 50 years. The blue skate (Dipturus batis) is slightly smaller than the flapper skate, and is more widespread, extending south into the Celtic Sea.

As well as being important from a heritage perspective, blue skate and flapper skate play an important ecosystem role, maintaining balance in the benthic (seafloor) food web, where they are apex predators.

However, they face several threats from human activity. Historically, they were overfished in Scotland until as recently as 2009, when it became illegal to land them commercially.  Today, they are regularly caught accidentally (bycatch) through destructive fishing practices including bottom trawling (see here for 2025 incident).

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can be effective in helping the species recover. For example, catches have increased by up to 92% in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura MPA. However, skate distributions are still poorly understood in many parts of Scotland, preventing further protected areas from being identified and designated.

The Project

The Orkney Skate Trust, consisting of voluntary marine professionals and community members, are one of the leading skate research organisations in Scotland.  In recent years, they have developed sophisticated survey technology  specifically for monitoring skate. Using a Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) system, they collect evidence-based data on local skate populations to inform marine management.

This HIEF grant is supporting their field survey campaign in 2025, which aims to map the distribution and abundance of adult and juvenile flapper and blue skate species in Orkney waters. High quality maps will serve as key tools for conservation planning, with data potentially helping to inform the designation of an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA).