October 7, 2016 — The following was released by the NEFMC:
In a management success story that came after years of highly restrictive measures, the New England Fishery Management Council is welcoming the recent declaration that “barndoor skate is now considered rebuilt based on the best available scientific information.” Barndoor skate has been a prohibited species for commercial and recreational fishermen since 2003 when the Council’s Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was implemented and the stock was considered to be overfished.
The Council was informed of this change in status through a Sept. 30 letter from Regional Administrator John Bullard of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.
Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn noted that in 1999, NMFS received two petitions to list barndoor skate as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“We’ve come a long way since then,” Quinn said.
In 2002, NMFS determined that an ESA listing was not warranted because of several “positive trends” in the population, which included: “recent increases in abundance of barndoor skate observed during trawl surveys; the expansion of known areas where barndoor skate have been encountered; increases in size range; and the increase in the number of small barndoor skate that have been collected.”
The stock has continued to improve over the years and many fishermen have reported encountering higher numbers of barndoor skate in many areas. In light of the stock’s rebuilt status, some now are asking whether the Council will allow future landings. The answer is: It’s too soon to tell.
Other skate stock status findings by the science center include:
- Overfishing was not occurring on any of the seven species in the Northeast Skate Complex, which are: winter
skate (Leucoraja ocellata); barndoor skate (Dipturis laevis); thorny skate (Amblyraja radiata); smooth skate (Malacoraja senta); little skate (Leucoraja erinacea); clearnose skate (Raja eglanteria); and rosette skate (Leucoraja germane). - Thorny skate is the only species in the complex that remains in an overfished condition. Like barndoor skate, possession of thorny skate is prohibited.