Key Events:
Early November 2019 my friend and dive buddy Chris Rickard accompanied scallop divers to dive a site in the Inner Sound of Skye where a diver had recently seen a Flapper Skate eggcase. Chris came across an area where he observed 40+ eggcases, my phone rang hot as soon as he was topside!
Realising this was an important discovery for a critically endangered species, within a matter of days we had directly contacted several people at Nature Scot (an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservation, and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations.), Marine Scotland (now called the Marine Directorate, responsible for managing Scotland’s seas and freshwater fisheries), the Shark Trust, Marine Conservation Society, University contacts etc.
- Late November 2019, a representative of Marine Scotland confirmed via email that “We have so little data on the locations of egg laying sites that this finding is clearly important”.
- Early March 2020 Tritonia Scientific and Nature Scot dived the site and sampled some of the eggcases.
- Early October 2020 several MSPs were emailed to try and get the ball rolling on some meaningful protection. We knew that Marine Scotland were considering the area as a PMF (Priority Marine Feature) but a review had been delayed.
- Mid-October 2020 we obtained support from the Blue Marine Foundation and several keen stakeholders to go and dive the site again and to obtain photographs and film footage of the site. We dived 3 areas that day and found eggcases in each location.
- Late October 2020 Our photographs and footage were used alongside interviews given to Sky News to raise awareness of this unique site in an attempt to encourage protective measures by Marine Scotland.
- March 2021 ministers designated the site an urgent Marine Protected Area naming it the Red Rocks and Longay MPA (an urgent MPA can only remain in place for a maximum of 2 years, after which the site would need to be made permanent following assessment and public consultation).
- December 2021 following further surveys of the site and surrounding area by Nature Scot, the boundaries of the urgent MPA were extended to include areas where more eggcases had been found.
- February 2023, following full assessments and stake holder engagements, Marine Scotland made the Red Rocks and Longay MPA permanent.
Note: Chris and I realised that there was a lot of untapped information out there (for example: scallop divers encountering flapper skate eggcases), that wasn’t being recorded but had the potential to add valuable insight and contribute meaningful data towards the conservation of elasmobranch species around Scotland. As a result, in January 2021 Chris and I co-founded Shark & Skate Scotland, a community science group recording sightings (alive and deceased), of elasmobranch species and their eggcases around the Scottish coastline.
Information and evidence we collected and presented to Marine Scotland in support of an MPA:
Aims and Objectives
Permanent protection of the critically endangered Flapper Skate (Dipturus intermedius) egg-laying site from mobile fishing gear.
Justifications
This site is an Essential Fish Habitat for a critically endangered species.
An EFH is defined as a habitat identified as crucial to the ecological and biological requirements for the critical life cycle of exploited fish species, and which may require special protection to improve stock status and long‑term sustainability. In particular, EFH refers to the waters and substrate necessary for fish to spawn, breed or feed.
For example:
Spawning grounds: areas with a high concentration of mature females.
Nursery grounds: areas where the highest concentrations of juvenile fish are found.
Migration corridors: pathways, used by highly mobile species throughout their lifecycle, (such as from the spawning ground to the nursery ground).
Feeding grounds/ Foraging grounds: areas, where increased feeding activity takes place.
Having dived the egg-laying site 4 times over a period of 13 months, we observed >200 eggcases (plus empty eggcases). Mature female flapper skates are estimated to lay around 40 eggcases annually (Brander, 1981). What’s more, the embryos within the eggcases have been observed at varying stages of development using torch light held underneath the eggcases. The number of eggcases and the developmental stages, combined with the appearance of the eggcases (colouration and shape) strongly suggest that this site is being used by more than one mature female. And thus this site is fundamental for genetic variation and successful conservation of this flapper skate population and needs to be protected accordingly.
A study by Ellis et al in 2004, titled ‘The Distribution of Chondrichthyan Fishes Around the
British Isles and Implications for Conservation’ suggested that “potentially useful closed areas for elasmobranchs could include sites that are important for parturition/egg-laying and juveniles for species of conservation importance”, when discussing the use of Marine Protected Areas and No Take Zones as measures for protecting biodiversity, habitats, ecosystems and endangered species.
Other research has shown that fishing gear can result in the direct displacement and capture of skate eggcases (Stevenson et al, 2019). If mobile fishing practices are allowed to operate within our identified egg-laying area (a perfectly reasonable assumption given the prevalence of the King Scallop, Pecten maximus), coupled with the life history traits of the flapper skate (also shared by many other elasmobranch species) including; slow growth rate, late maturation and few offspring, will severely impact a species already considered critically endangered. Additionally a recent publication suggests that future projected climate change could impact the thermal range and current geographic distribution of the flapper skate in the North East Atlantic (Frost et al 2020). Thus adding another ecological stress factor threatening the species future survival.
The findings of the first flapper skate working group meeting as published in Marine Policy 2020, titled ‘The critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius): Recommendations from the first flapper skate working group meeting’. Suggest that the protection of this egg-laying site would/should be a priority for this group. This site obviously adds valuable information for this species. The publication also acknowledges that recent efforts in Scotland (Jura MPA) have been a success and that further protective measures are required on a regional scale. Crucially they also point out that the principal driver of extirpation is industrialised fishing which remains a threat today (Garbett et al 2020).
Wider protection (further considerations)
The adults visiting this site are obviously mature females and key to the ongoing evolutionary success of the species. What use is it to allow detrimental fishing practices in the surrounding area where the adults and potentially the hatched neonates would be impacted? Flapper skate are known to utilize various depths available within their habitat for foraging etc. Capture–mark–recapture (CMR) modelling of flapper skates has shown significant heterogeneity in the recapture rate suggesting that regions contain a mixture of site-attached (resident) and vagrant (transient) individuals (Neat et al 2014).
The egg-laying site is surrounded by varying depths and habitats all of which they may utilise. In addition the number and stages of the eggcases suggest more than one female is travelling to the site, and the presence of very old broken down eggcases, indicates that these females may be returning to the site and have been using it for a number of years (this may point to a resident population – although tagging studies would be needed to clarify this). Therefore wider protections should be considered (as per published advice by Neat et al 2014) including; a PMF (Priority Marine Feature) designated for the species across a larger area that includes this egg laying site to provide a second MPA for flapper skate in line with Marine Scotland commitments to repetition for PMFs and to provide a buffer zone to further safeguard this species.
Why Marine Scotland should protect the site
- Section 79(3) c of the Marine Scotland Act requires that ”that the designation of sites in the network reflects the fact that the conservation of a feature may require the designation of more than one site.” - the letter of the law here means more than 1 in Scottish network, though 79(3)a and b refer to “UK marine area” so the spirit may be considered to mean UK generally.
- Bottom of page 36 of SNH’s (now Nature Scot) 2012 advice regarding the MPA network states ”The remaining features (basking shark, common skate and white-beaked dolphin) would be represented within one or more Nature Conservation MPAs but in our view this is not adequate - on the basis of our current understanding of the occurrence and distribution of the features in Scottish waters.” https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2017-07/Publication%202012%20-%20SNH%20Commissioned%20Report%20547%20-%20SNH%20and%20JNCC%20MPA%20network%20advice.pdf and suggests this will be resolved by 2018… It wasn’t.
- Section 77 of the Marine Scotland Act gives Ministers power to designate an “urgent” MPA ”In any case where the Scottish Ministers consider there is an urgent need to protect the area proposed to be designated”.
- Ministers do not need Nature Scots advice before designation, but section 80 of the Marine Scotland Act states they must provide advice if it is requested, and they may provide advice on matters which are capable of damaging MPAs.
Stewardship
The flapper skate is a critically endangered species that Scotland is fortunate enough to still have small numbers of in their waters, they should foster a sense of ownership and exhibit a sense of responsibility to safeguard such a species.
References
Brander, K. 1981. Disappearance of common skate Raia batis from Irish Sea. Nature. 290: 5801, pp. 48-4
Bergmann, M et al, 2004. Using knowledge from fishers and fisheries scientists to identify possible groundfish ‘Essential Fish Habitats’, Fisheries Research, 66: 2-3, pp. 373-379
Ellis at al 2004. The Distribution of Chondrichthyan Fishes around the British Isles and Implications for Conservation. J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci. 35: 195–213
Frost et al 2020. Distribution and thermal niche of the common skate species complex in the north-east Atlantic. Marine Ecology progress Series. 656: 65–74
Gallagher et al 2012. Ecological risk assessment and its application to elasmobranch conservation and management. Journal of Fish Biology. 80: 1727–1748
Garbett et al 2020. The critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius): Recommendations from the first flapper skate working group meeting. Marine Policy. 124
Morishita J. 2008. What is the ecosystem approach for fisheries management? Marine Policy, 32: 19‑26
Neat et al 2014. Site fidelity, survival and conservation options for the threatened flapper skate (Dipturus cf. intermedia). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 25: 1, 1-15
Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council
Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC.
Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks, amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007
Rosenberg et al. 2000. Ecosystem Approaches to Fishery Management through Essential Fish Habitat Bulletin of Marine Science, 66: 3, pp. 535‑542
STECF, 2006. Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries opinion on ‘sensitive and essential fish habitats in the Mediterranean Sea’. Commission staff working paper, Rome
Stevenson et al, 2019. Interactions between fisheries and early life stages of skates in nursery areas of the eastern Bering Sea. Fishery Bulletin 117: 8–14