Spotted ray

Spotted ray in this area is data limited, with low resilience to fishing pressure. However, there is currently no concern for fishing pressure or biomass.Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating due to the lack of reference points. The most recent assessment was published in 2024 by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), with the next one due in 2026.Spotted ray has a low resilience to fishing pressure. Currently, fishing pressure is equal to the FMSY proxy. However, as landings have been decreasing since 2012, and remain below the scientific advice by ICES, there is currently no concern for fishing pressure. Stock size is monitored using a biomass index (Itrigger). Although biomass has fluctuated since the timeseries began in 1993, it most recently fell below Itrigger (0.2) in 2008 but has remained above this threshold since. In recent years, biomass indices indicate a slight increase: Index A (mean of 2022–2023) is 0.52 compared with Index B (mean of 2019 and 2021) at 0.51. As the stock has slightly increased and remains above Itrigger, there is currently no concern for biomass.ICES advice on landings follows the MSY approach. It is determined from the most recent advised landings (from 2023-2024), adjusted by several factors: the ratio of Index A to Index B, the ratio of observed mean catch length to target mean catch length, a biomass safeguard, and a precautionary multiplier. As a result, advised landings decreased by 7% from 814 tonnes to 757 tonnes for 2025 and 2026. Discard rates remain unquantified.

There is no management plan for skates and rays and the joint TAC has been deemed an unsuitable method for protecting individual species. However, in this area, the North Devon Fishermen's Association have implemented some management measures to help conserve stocks.There is no management plan in place for spotted ray in this area. Demersal elasmobranchs are usually caught as bycatch in the mixed demersal fisheries for roundfish and flatfish. Species identification issues between blonde ray and spotted ray may affect landings, observer and survey data. There is also no official Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) in place, so juveniles may also be landed.In 1999, a common Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 'skates and rays' was first introduced. Five regional quotas are in place for the group of skates and rays, rather than for the individual species. This method of management has been deemed as unsuitable for protecting individual species, but species-specific quotas may also lead to discarding. In 2025, the TAC for skates and rays were set as follows:3168 tonnes for ICES areas 2.a and 487 tonnes for ICES area 3.a9430 tonnes for ICES areas 6.a, 6.b, 7a-c, and 7e-k 2688 tonnes for ICES area 7.d 5576 tonnes for ICES areas 8 and 9 (2024)A high-survivability exemption to the Landings Obligation was provided for skates and rays in the Celtic Seas ecoregion. Any skates and rays that are discarded are required to be released immediately and below the sea surface.In the Bristol Channel, the North Devon Fishermen's Association (NDFA) is working to keep fishing practices up to date and introduce innovative, sustainable methods. In 2005, an area of more than 300 square kilometres north of Lundy Island was designated as a seasonal no-trawl zone, prohibiting mobile fishing for six months each year. Known locally as the ‘ray box,’ this zone was created to protect juvenile rays and other breeding stocks.The NDFA introduced a voluntary Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) of 45 cm disc width for rays. While this measure is intended to support growth and spawning, it does not account for differences between species or sexes. For instance, female spotted rays typically mature at 49–70 cm, whereas males mature at smaller sizes, around 40–66 cm. This means that many females, and some males, may not have reproduced even at the voluntary MCRS, potentially undermining stock stability. To improve survival rates, all rays below the minimum size are handled carefully and returned immediately to the sea.The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law retained by the UK post-Brexit, requires all quota fish to be landed, even if unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to encourage more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve catch reporting. However, compliance is poor, and accurate discard levels are hard to quantify with current monitoring programmes. The UK is in the process of replacing the LO with country-specific Catching Policies.The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years.The Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs.The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impactsTargets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidenceTimeframes for stock recoveryImproved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatchStakeholder engagement

Gillnets in this area can encounter bycatch of non-target fish, mammals and birds, including ETP species. However, this gear type has minimal impact on the seabed.Spotted ray is a shelf species that is a bycatch in trawl and gillnet fisheries, including in mixed demersal fisheries for groundfish and fisheries targeting the overall skate complex. As one of the smaller and less valuable species in the skate complex, it is not targeted, and a relatively high proportion of the catch may be discarded.Bycatch data for many UK and EU fisheries remains limited due to poor monitoring. However, fixed and drift nets can have high levels of bycatch, including endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species. This includes marine mammals (harbour porpoises, grey seals, and common dolphins), seabirds (common guillemot), and elasmobranchs (spurdog, the common skate complex, porbeagles, and angle sharks).Harbour porpoises are included on OSPAR’s List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats for the Greater North Sea and Celtic Seas, due to documented population declines and the ongoing threat of being bycaught. They are also considered a priority species under UK and EU law, under which there are explicit bycatch requirements. In the Celtic Seas ecoregion, annual bycatch rates of harbour porpoise are estimated at around 27 individuals annually in trammel nets. Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs), such as pingers, have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing harbour porpoise bycatch in gillnets. However, their deployment is inconsistent, and their efficacy is unknown for other species.Alongside cetaceans, elasmobranchs, seals, and seabirds are also at risk of gillnet bycatch. Reported captures include ray species, guillemots, and northern fulmars (listed as Vulnerable in Europe). Although bird scarers have been shown to reduce seabird bycatch, the use of these deterrents remains undocumented.In UK waters, mesh size regulations for gill, trammel, and drift nets (maximum 110 mm) are intended to allow juvenile roundfish and flatfish to escape capture. However, due to the distinctive shape of skates and rays, even smaller individuals are difficult to avoid catching and rarely manage to escape. This poses a risk to reproductive capacity and long‑term stock stability.Contact between nets and the seabed is limited to very light contact from the footrope and minimal contact from the small anchors at each end. As the gear is not towed over the seabed there should be very little abrasion.Nylon nets, if lost, can continue to fish for several weeks before becoming tangled and bundled up, a phenomenon known as 'ghost fishing'. However, static nets, as with all gear, represent an investment by fishermen, and therefore there are incentives to avoid losing or damaging gear.To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, MCS would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced.