dark-belly skate
Bathyraja meridionalis · Arhynchobatidae · predator
Skate of cold waters of the far south, with records in Argentina and Chile. It does not occur in Brazil and appears in commercial fishing.
Also called: raia-de-ventre-escuro, dark-belly skate
- maximum
- 120 cm
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
—
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the dark-belly skate
who is the dark-belly skate
The dark-belly skate is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, with a flattened body and a disc formed by the pectoral fins. It reaches 120 cm. It lives on the bottom of cold southern waters, at depths down to 800 m, in the southwestern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean, as far as South Georgia Island. It is oviparous, and the egg cases have horn-like projections on the shell. It appears in commercial fishing. It does not occur in Brazil.
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 dark-belly skate.
identification
Flattened skate with a wide disc and thin tail separated from the disc, like the family's other skates. The belly is dark, the trait that gives the name and helps recognize the species. It lives in cold waters of the far south, far from Brazilian coasts, where it coexists with other skates of the genus Bathyraja, such as the austral sandpaper skate.
where found
Southwestern Atlantic and Southern Ocean, with records in Argentina and Chile, and as far as South Georgia Island. It does not occur in Brazil.
Habitat: Sea floor of cold southern waters, at depths down to 800 meters.
rules for the dark-belly 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
—
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 meridionalis (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 meridionalisNames by country and language.
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: