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fishing forecast

rio skate

Rioraja agassizii · Arhynchobatidae · predator

Seanational list: VU · vulnerableessential profile

Coastal ray from the coast of Espírito Santo to Argentina, threatened in Brazil. Catching it is prohibited in the country: if you hook one by accident, release it right away.

Also called: raia-santa, emplastro, raya lisa, rio skate

Scientific illustration of Rio skate
maximum
33 cm
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the rio skate

overview

who is the rio skate

The santa skate is a skate of the family Arhynchobatidae, with a flattened body and a disc formed by the pectoral fins. It reaches 33 cm in disc width. It is a coastal species, living on sand, mud or gravel bottoms down to 130 m deep, from Espírito Santo to Argentina. It feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and fish. It is oviparous, and the egg cases have horn-like projections. It turns up in commercial fishing and is listed on the national list of threatened species as vulnerable, with catching prohibited 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 rio skate; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Small, flattened skate with a rounded disc, smooth back (raya lisa, in Spanish) and thin tail set apart from the disc. It is much smaller than the circle skate (Atlantoraja cyclophora), which has circles on its back and reaches 78.9 cm. It also shares the southeast and south coast with the emplastro skate (Sympterygia acuta), which has a larger snout.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Southwest Atlantic, from Espírito Santo to Argentina. In Brazil it lives on the southeast and south coast.

Habitat: Sand, mud or gravel bottom of the coast, down to 130 meters deep.

coast

Southeast CoastSouth Coastcoastalshelf
what the law says

rules for the rio 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.
Conservation: On the national list of threatened species as VU. IUCN global assessment: VU.

Threatened species in Brazil: catch banned

full protection

The national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026) classifies the species as VU. Under Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º), VU, EN and CR species have full protection: catch, transport, storage, processing and sale are banned. If you hook one by accident, release it at once, handling it as little as possible.

Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 3º, and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026

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.

Threatened species with capture prohibited in Brazil. If it comes on the line, keep the skate in the water whenever you can, remove the hook with long-nose pliers or cut the line close and release it right away. Avoid lifting it by the tail and watch the spines on the back and tail.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0049, b = 3.02; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Rioraja agassizii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Rioraja agassiziiNames by country and language.
  3. official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
don't confuse

similar species