commander skate

Photo: Flicker user Rick (crappywildlifephotography)

​The Commander Skate (Bathyraja lindbergi) is like many other skates: they like the deep. How deep, are you asking? They have been observed anywhere from 126 metres to 1,193 metres deep in the waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. They get up to 102 cm total length (TL) making them not the biggest skate but certainly not the smallest.

Like others in the Arhynchobatidae family they are long-living (up to 35 years, phew) and are therefore late to mature (not until 21 years) which means they could be vulnerable to increased commercial fishing activity and other human-related impacts. However, we have some good news! They are estimated to be stable in the eastern part of the Bering Sea and are assessed as “Least Concern” (LC) by the IUCN in the Russian Federation region. This is because of their deep depth preference, meaning they are safe from most current commercial fishing activity. The commander skate is also a part of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands skate stock complex in Alaska, meaning it is being monitored, hooray!

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

• Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
• Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deep sea fishing.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Oviparity/oviparous: Where adult Chondrichthyans lay eggcases (also known as ‘mermaid’s purses) and the baby develops inside the egg before hatching.​

SAY HELLO!

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