Atlantoraja platana, La Plata skate

Abstract

The La Plata Skate (Atlantoraja platana) is a medium-sized (to 91 cm total length) skate that occurs in the Southwest Atlantic from Espírito Santo, Brazil to Chubut, Argentina. It inhabits clay, mud, and sand substrates on the continental shelf and upper slope from inshore to 320 m depth. This skate is captured in intensive and largely unmanaged demersal trawl fisheries throughout its range. In southern Brazil, this skate is subjected to intense industrial and artisanal fishing pressure and it is suspected that this has led to declines in abundance there. In Argentina, reported landings of skates in general increased from 900 t in 1993 to a peak of 28,000 t in 2007, and then declined to 24,000 t in 2009–2010. It is smaller-bodied than the Critically Endangered congeneric Spotback Skate (Atlantoraja castelnaui), and by comparison is suspected to be less sensitive to fishing pressure. Although it is still common in catches, the combination of widespread intensive fishing pressure across its range, inadequate management measures, its high catchability, and declines in reported overall skate catches, it is suspected that the La Plata Skate has undergone a population reduction of 50–79% over the past three generations (40.5 years), and it is assessed as Endangered A2bd.