patagonian skate
Bathyraja macloviana
Bottom-dwelling skate of temperate waters of the Southwest Atlantic and the South Pacific, from Uruguay to Argentina and Chile. It does not occur in Brazil and turns up in commercial fishing.
Also called: raia-patagônica, raya espinosa, patagonian skate
- maximum
- 60 cm
who is the patagonian skate
The Patagonian skate is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, with a flattened body and a disc formed by the pectoral fins. It reaches 60 cm. It lives near the bottom of temperate waters, from Uruguay to Argentina and also in Chile. It is oviparous, and the egg cases have horn-like projections on the shell. It turns up in commercial fishing. It does not occur in Brazil, and it is a temperate-water skate of the southern part of the continent, with no records on the Brazilian coast.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the patagonian skate.
identification
Skate with a flattened disc and thin tail set apart from the disc, like the other skates of the family. The Spanish name, raya espinosa (thorny skate), refers to a back with spines. It reaches 60 cm and lives off the coast of Patagonia, at the southern tip of South America.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Southwest Atlantic, from Uruguay to Argentina, and southeast Pacific, in Chile. It does not occur in Brazil.
Habitat: Sea floor of temperate waters of the Southwest Atlantic and the southern Pacific.
rules for the patagonian skate
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Bottom skate, of large size: if it comes on the line, do not lift it out of the water; remove the hook with long-nose pliers or cut the line close and release it with minimal handling. Watch the spines on the back and tail.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00562, b = 3.13; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Bathyraja macloviana (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Bathyraja maclovianaNames by country and language.