Pygmy thornback skate

Source: National Fish Collection, CSIRO.

The pygmy thornback skate (Dentiraja flindersi) is a rare and small (up to 33 cm total length) animal that is endemic to South Australian waters. They are a light brown-yellow color with lighter yellow around their disc.
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Scientists believe these animals get no deeper than 54 metres and tend to stay below 27 metres deep. Due to the pygmy thornback skate being an endemic animal to the gulfs of South Australia, they are a good "indicator" animal to let people know the health of the overall ecosystems there. Little is known about this animal, including the population size or status (which is why the IUCN has assessed them as Data Deficient). 

This animal is caught as bycatch quite frequently in its proposed range, however it is mostly the South Australian prawn trawl fisheries which are managed by limited licences, vessel and gear restrictions as well as seasonal closures and rotation of trawling grounds. Nothing else is known about these animals.

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GLOSSARY

• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species. 
• Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.​
• Endemic: Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​​

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