Conservationists in Orkney have shared a video of a giant of Scottish seas – a flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius). In the footage, a huge, spaceship-like creature cruises into view before turning and swooping directly towards the camera.
“The flapper skate is the largest skate in the world and can live over 50 years,” says the Orkney Skate Trust. “They can reach approximately 2.5 metres nose to tail, 2 metres across the wings and weigh over 100kg.” That's bigger – and significantly heavier – than a king-size bed.
Once common in our seas, these critically endangered ocean giants are one of the most threatened species in the UK. They can still be found off the Scottish archipelago of Orkney, which has a suitable habitat, food sources and fewer fishing pressures.
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“As a commercial diver I have been fortunate to spend time with flapper skates in the wild, and as a marine biologist I knew this was a fortunate and unique position to find myself in due to their low numbers,” says Daniel Wise from the Orkney Skate Trust.
“I think that’s a shame, as not only are these fish one of the largest and most impressive creatures you are likely to see whilst diving in the UK, but they form a crucial role in the ecosystem, through predation of weak and injured fish and keeping everything in balance,” he says.
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One of the reasons flapper skates are so endangered is because they take a long time to reproduce. They don’t reach sexual maturity until they are around 10 years old, produce very few young and their eggs can take as long as 18 months to hatch.
The Orkney Skate Trust is undertaking several measures to try to protect these fascinating fish, including by studying where they lay their eggs so these areas can be protected. People who find a mermaid’s purse (egg casing) from a flapper skate – or see a skate in the wild – can report their sighting to the Trust to help their research and conservation work.
“Once you mess with a system it’s so hard to get that to balance out again, so we need these fish to come back,” says Wise. “I’m hopeful this can happen with some simple conservation measures.”
Image and video credit: Orkney Skate Trust and Highlands and Islands Environmental Foundation
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