Only 1 in 4 deep-sea skates caught as fisheries bycatch survive after release

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-08-13 09:01

Australia; TAS

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Only around one in four deep-sea skates caught as bycatch during longline fishing survives after being re-released at sea, according to Australian research. Deep-sea skates are often caught accidentally in Southern Ocean fisheries and are usually released if they appear unharmed, but their chances of survival after release are unclear. The researchers put satellite tags on 24 skates caught as bycatch during a fishing voyage for Patagonian toothfish. They found that only 26% survived after 30 days, with deeper captures linked to lower survival. These findings suggest that mortality of skates caught on deep-set longlines may be underestimated, highlighting the need to reassess bycatch management strategies in these fisheries.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Behavioural indicators of post-release survival in a deep-sea skate

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Deep-sea skates are often caught accidentally in Southern Ocean fisheries and are usually released if they appear unharmed, but their chances of survival after release are unclear. Twenty-four skates caught at depths 1200-1700 m were tagged with popup archival satellite tags to determine their survival. Data showed that only 26% survived, with deeper captures linked to lower survival. These findings suggest that mortality of skates caught on deep-set longlines may be underestimated, highlighting the need to reassess bycatch management strategies in these fisheries.

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Research The Royal Society, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Tasmania, Australian Antarctic Division

Funder: This work was supported by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) (Project number 2021/0805); the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) (Project number 2022-012). It was also supported through the Student Research Grants, part of the Ocean Stewardship Fund program of the Marine Saterdwship Council (MSC). The MSC has not reviewed this content.

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