Raja montagui

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	RAJIFORMES	RAJIDAE

Scientific Name:

Raja montagui

Species Authority:

(Fowler, 1910)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Spotted Ray, Spotted Skate
French	–	Raie Douce
Spanish	–	Raya Pintada

Taxonomic Notes:

No recent synonyms. In terms of identification, juvenile spotted rays can be confused with the morphologically similar blonde ray (Raja brachyura) and thornback ray (Raja clavata). Some spotted rays have fewer spots that are concentrated in the centres of the wings and can be misidentified as cuckoo rays (Leucoraja naevus).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2007
Assessor/s:	Ellis, J., Ungaro,N., Serena,F., Dulvy,N.,Tinti,F., Bertozzi, M., Pasolini, P., Mancusi,C. & Noarbartolo di Sciara, G.
Reviewer/s:	Cavanagh, R.D., Kulka, D.W. & Valenti, S.V. (Shark Red List Authority)
Justification: This small skate is widespread in the inshore waters and shallow shelf seas of the Northeast Atlantic and is common throughout the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the east (Aegean Sea) and the western central area (coasts of Tyrrhenia, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily). The bulk of the population appears to exist between 100 and 500 m in the Mediterranean. Populations of Raja montagui appear to be stable throughout its range despite being commonly landed in fisheries. Their small body size is likely to mean this species has greater resilience to fishing impacts compared to larger-bodied skate species. R. montagui is common in landings from fisheries and trawl surveys throughout much of the Northeast Atlantic and although accurate species-specific landings data are not available, catch rates in fishery-independent surveys indicate that catches are stable, possibly increasing in certain areas. It is also captured in trawl fisheries as bycatch in the Mediterranean and although temporal fluctuations of the abundance have occurred, populations appear to be stable in most parts of the Mediterranean. Therefore this species is assessed as Least Concern. Given intense trawling pressure within its range, future trends and bycatch levels should be closely monitored.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Widely distributed in the Northeast Atlantic, ranging from Morocco in the south to the Shetland Isles and Skagerrak and Kattegat in the north, including the Mediterranean Sea (Stehmann and Burkel 1984, Bauchot 1987). Within the Northeastern Atlantic it tends to occur in inshore waters and shallow shelf seas, in depths of 8 to 283 m (Ellis et al., 2005a), though it is most abundant in waters less than 100 m. Juveniles tend to occur closer inshore on sandy sediments, with adults also common further offshore on sand and coarse sand-gravel substrates.
Countries:	Native: Belgium; Denmark; France; Germany; Ireland; Morocco; Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – eastern central; Atlantic – northeast; Mediterranean and Black Sea
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	No formal stock assessments have been undertaken for this species. R. monatgui is common in landings and trawl surveys throughout much of its range and although accurate species-specific landings data are not available catch rates in fishery-independent surveys indicate that catches are stable, possibly increasing in certain areas. Catch rates in beam trawl surveys in the English Channel and Irish Sea appear steady in recent times (Ellis et al. 2005b), and IBTS data in the North Sea are also relatively stable (ICES 2006). These catch rates refer to all individuals caught and not just mature fish. This species is common throughout the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the eastern area (Aegean Sea) and the western central area (coasts of Tyrrhenia, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily). The overall biomass index assessed with the Mediterranean International Trawl Surveys (MEDITS) (0 to 800 m deep) in the west, north and eastern Mediterranean was 1.7kg/km² (Baino et al. 2001). This species has been captured in 107 out of 6,336 survey tows between 1994 and 1999 and its estimated standing stock biomass throughout the survey region is 882 t (Baino et al. 2001). Historically this species was very rare in the Adriatic Sea (Jukic-Peladic et al. 2001, Marano et al. in press).
Population Trend:	Stable

Population:

No formal stock assessments have been undertaken for this species. R. monatgui is common in landings and trawl surveys throughout much of its range and although accurate species-specific landings data are not available catch rates in fishery-independent surveys indicate that catches are stable, possibly increasing in certain areas. Catch rates in beam trawl surveys in the English Channel and Irish Sea appear steady in recent times (Ellis et al. 2005b), and IBTS data in the North Sea are also relatively stable (ICES 2006). These catch rates refer to all individuals caught and not just mature fish. This species is common throughout the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the eastern area (Aegean Sea) and the western central area (coasts of Tyrrhenia, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily). The overall biomass index assessed with the Mediterranean International Trawl Surveys (MEDITS) (0 to 800 m deep) in the west, north and eastern Mediterranean was 1.7kg/km² (Baino et al. 2001). This species has been captured in 107 out of 6,336 survey tows between 1994 and 1999 and its estimated standing stock biomass throughout the survey region is 882 t (Baino et al. 2001). Historically this species was very rare in the Adriatic Sea (Jukic-Peladic et al. 2001, Marano et al. in press).

Population Trend:

Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Raja montagui is most common on sandy sediments in coastal and shelf seas (Ellis et al. 2005a), though may occur deeper in the southern parts of its range. Raja montagui is found at intermediate depths on the shallow shelf and was captured in the MEDITS surveys at depths between 28 to 530 m, but the bulk of the population appears to exist between 100 to 500 m (Baino et al. 2001). Adults have an average total length of 60 cm (Bauchot 1987), and the maximum recorded length is 80 cm (Ellis et al. 2005b). Maximum fecundity of approximately 60 to 70 (Holden et al. 1971, Walker 1999). Juveniles feed on small crustaceans (amphipods, natantids), with larger individuals predating on larger crustaceans, and fishes. Basic information on their reproductive biology is available, though better data on fecundity are required.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Raja montagui is most common on sandy sediments in coastal and shelf seas (Ellis et al. 2005a), though may occur deeper in the southern parts of its range. Raja montagui is found at intermediate depths on the shallow shelf and was captured in the MEDITS surveys at depths between 28 to 530 m, but the bulk of the population appears to exist between 100 to 500 m (Baino et al. 2001). Adults have an average total length of 60 cm (Bauchot 1987), and the maximum recorded length is 80 cm (Ellis et al. 2005b). Maximum fecundity of approximately 60 to 70 (Holden et al. 1971, Walker 1999). Juveniles feed on small crustaceans (amphipods, natantids), with larger individuals predating on larger crustaceans, and fishes. Basic information on their reproductive biology is available, though better data on fecundity are required.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Rajids are an important component of demersal fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic and R. montagui is landed and sold (Dulvy et al. 2000, Holden 1977). As one of the smaller rays in the Northeast Atlantic, it is not targeted, though larger individuals are landed as by-catch in mixed trawl fisheries. The small body size of R. montagui is likely to mean they have greater resilience fishing impacts compared to larger-bodied skate species. The Mediterranean Sea is intensively trawled for commercial fishing at depths ranging from 50 to 700 m (Colloca et al. 2003). R. montagui is captured in Mediterranean trawl fisheries as bycatch and although temporal fluctuations of the abundance have occurred, populations appear to be stable in most parts of the Mediterranean (Relini et al. 2000).

Major Threat(s):

Rajids are an important component of demersal fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic and R. montagui is landed and sold (Dulvy et al. 2000, Holden 1977). As one of the smaller rays in the Northeast Atlantic, it is not targeted, though larger individuals are landed as by-catch in mixed trawl fisheries. The small body size of R. montagui is likely to mean they have greater resilience fishing impacts compared to larger-bodied skate species. The Mediterranean Sea is intensively trawled for commercial fishing at depths ranging from 50 to 700 m (Colloca et al. 2003). R. montagui is captured in Mediterranean trawl fisheries as bycatch and although temporal fluctuations of the abundance have occurred, populations appear to be stable in most parts of the Mediterranean (Relini et al. 2000).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There is a minimum landing size of 40 cm disc width for skates and rays caught in some of the inshore waters of England and Wales, through local Sea Fishery Committee bylaws. Though there are no species-specific management measures for this species, there is a TAC for skates and rays in the North Sea and adjacent waters, and they may benefit from more generic management measures for demersal fisheries (e.g., size restriction, effort reduction).

Conservation Actions:

There is a minimum landing size of 40 cm disc width for skates and rays caught in some of the inshore waters of England and Wales, through local Sea Fishery Committee bylaws. Though there are no species-specific management measures for this species, there is a TAC for skates and rays in the North Sea and adjacent waters, and they may benefit from more generic management measures for demersal fisheries (e.g., size restriction, effort reduction).

Bibliography [top]

	Baino, R., Serena, F., Ragonese, S., Rey, J. and Rinelli, P. 2001. Catch composition and abundance of Elasmobranchs based on the MEDITS program. Rapports de la Commission Internationale pour L?Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Mediterranee 36:234. Bauchot, M.L. 1987. Raies at autres batoidés. In: M. Fisher, M. Schneider and M.-L. Bauchot (eds) Fiches FAO d?Identification des Espècs pour les Besoins de la Peche. Méditerranée et Mer Noire. Zone de Peche 37. Révision 1. II pp: 847?885. FAO, Rome. Bertozzi, M., Pasolini P., Hemida F., Capapé C. and Tinti, F. 2003. Species diversity in Algerian skates. In: Proceedings of the 7th European Elasmobranch Association Meeting, San Marino. Colloca, F., Cardinale, M., Belluscio, A. and Ardizzone, G. 2003. Pattern of distribution and diversity of demersal assemblages of the central Mediterranean Sea. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 56: 469-480. Dulvy, N.K., Metcalfe, J.D., Glanville, J., Pawson, M.G., and Reynolds, J.D. 2000. Fishery stability, local extinctions and shifts in community structure in skates. Conservation Biology. 14: 283-293. Ellis, J.R., Cruz-Martinez, A., Rackham, B.D. and Rogers, S.I. 2005. The distribution of chondrichthyan fishes around the British Isles and implications for conservation. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science 35: 195?213. Ellis, J.R., Dulvy, N.K., Jennings, S., Parker-Humphreys, M. and Rogers, S.I. 2005. Assessing the status of demersal elasmobranchs in UK waters: a review. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 1025-1047. Ellis, J.R., Pawson, M.G. and Shackley, S.E. 1996. The comparative feeding ecology of six species of shark and four species of ray (Elasmobranchii) in the North-East Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 76: 89?106. Holden, M.J. 1977. Elasmobranchs. In: J.A. Gulland Fish population dynamics. pp: 187-214. J. Wiley and Sons. Holden, M.J., Rout, D.W. and Humphreys, C.N. 1971. The rate of egg laying by three species of ray. Journal du Conseil International pour l?Exploration de la Mer. 33: 335-339. ICES. 2006. Report of the Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (WGEF), ICES CM 2006/ACFM:31. IUCN. 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 12th September 2007). IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. Specialist Group website. Available at: http://www.iucnssg.org/. Jukic-Peladic S., Vrgoc N., Krstulovic-Sifner S., Piccinetti C., Piccinetti-Manfrin G., Marano G. and Ungaro, N. 2001. Long-term changes in demersal resources of the Adriatic Sea: comparison between trawl surveys carried out in 1948 and 1998. Fish. Res. 53: 95?104. Marano, C.A., Manfrin-Piccinetti, G., Pasolini, P., Tinti, F. and Ungaro, N. In press. The genus Raja in the Adriatic Sea. Biologia Marina Mediterranea. Relini G., Biagi F., Serena F., Belluscio A., Spedicato M.T., Rinelli P., Follesa M.C., Piccinetti C., Ungaro N., Sion L. and D. Levi. 2000. I selaci pescati con lo strascico nei mari italiani. [Selachians fished by otter trawl in the Italian Seas] Biologia Marina Mediterránea 7(1): 347?384. Stehmann, M. and Burkel, D.L. 1984. Rajidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen & E. Tortonese (eds) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Vol. 1. pp: 163?196. UNESCO, Paris. Walker, P.A. 1999. Fleeting images: Dynamics of North Sea ray populations. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam

Baino, R., Serena, F., Ragonese, S., Rey, J. and Rinelli, P. 2001. Catch composition and abundance of Elasmobranchs based on the MEDITS program. Rapports de la Commission Internationale pour L?Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Mediterranee 36:234.

Bauchot, M.L. 1987. Raies at autres batoidés. In: M. Fisher, M. Schneider and M.-L. Bauchot (eds) Fiches FAO d?Identification des Espècs pour les Besoins de la Peche. Méditerranée et Mer Noire. Zone de Peche 37. Révision 1. II pp: 847?885. FAO, Rome.

Bertozzi, M., Pasolini P., Hemida F., Capapé C. and Tinti, F. 2003. Species diversity in Algerian skates. In: Proceedings of the 7th European Elasmobranch Association Meeting, San Marino.

Colloca, F., Cardinale, M., Belluscio, A. and Ardizzone, G. 2003. Pattern of distribution and diversity of demersal assemblages of the central Mediterranean Sea. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 56: 469-480.

Dulvy, N.K., Metcalfe, J.D., Glanville, J., Pawson, M.G., and Reynolds, J.D. 2000. Fishery stability, local extinctions and shifts in community structure in skates. Conservation Biology. 14: 283-293.

Ellis, J.R., Cruz-Martinez, A., Rackham, B.D. and Rogers, S.I. 2005. The distribution of chondrichthyan fishes around the British Isles and implications for conservation. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science 35: 195?213.

Ellis, J.R., Dulvy, N.K., Jennings, S., Parker-Humphreys, M. and Rogers, S.I. 2005. Assessing the status of demersal elasmobranchs in UK waters: a review. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 1025-1047.

Ellis, J.R., Pawson, M.G. and Shackley, S.E. 1996. The comparative feeding ecology of six species of shark and four species of ray (Elasmobranchii) in the North-East Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 76: 89?106.

Holden, M.J. 1977. Elasmobranchs. In: J.A. Gulland Fish population dynamics. pp: 187-214. J. Wiley and Sons.

Holden, M.J., Rout, D.W. and Humphreys, C.N. 1971. The rate of egg laying by three species of ray. Journal du Conseil International pour l?Exploration de la Mer. 33: 335-339.

ICES. 2006. Report of the Working Group on Elasmobranch Fishes (WGEF), ICES CM 2006/ACFM:31.

IUCN. 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 12th September 2007).

IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. Specialist Group website. Available at: http://www.iucnssg.org/.

Jukic-Peladic S., Vrgoc N., Krstulovic-Sifner S., Piccinetti C., Piccinetti-Manfrin G., Marano G. and Ungaro, N. 2001. Long-term changes in demersal resources of the Adriatic Sea: comparison between trawl surveys carried out in 1948 and 1998. Fish. Res. 53: 95?104.

Marano, C.A., Manfrin-Piccinetti, G., Pasolini, P., Tinti, F. and Ungaro, N. In press. The genus Raja in the Adriatic Sea. Biologia Marina Mediterranea.

Relini G., Biagi F., Serena F., Belluscio A., Spedicato M.T., Rinelli P., Follesa M.C., Piccinetti C., Ungaro N., Sion L. and D. Levi. 2000. I selaci pescati con lo strascico nei mari italiani. [Selachians fished by otter trawl in the Italian Seas] Biologia Marina Mediterránea 7(1): 347?384.

Stehmann, M. and Burkel, D.L. 1984. Rajidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen & E. Tortonese (eds) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Vol. 1. pp: 163?196. UNESCO, Paris.

Walker, P.A. 1999. Fleeting images: Dynamics of North Sea ray populations. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam

Citation:	Ellis, J., Ungaro,N., Serena,F., Dulvy,N.,Tinti,F., Bertozzi, M., Pasolini, P., Mancusi,C. & Noarbartolo di Sciara, G. 2007. Raja montagui. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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