Undulate ray

Undulate ray in the English channel has recovered to a healthy state and is currently being harvested sustainably.This stock was considered depleted since 1990 until a landing ban was implemented in 2009, which lasted until 2014. It has since recovered to a healthy state. Following a stock benchmark in 2022, relative biomass (B) is 1.77. This is above MSY Btrigger and Blim.Fishing pressure (F) on the stock in 2021 was 0.32. This is below FMSY.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, landings in 2023 and 2024 should be no more than 4836 and 4675 tonnes respectively. This advice is substantially larger than the previous advice (2552 tonnes in 2021 and 2022), and it is not known how this will impact discard rates for undulate ray.Small fish (less than 50cm) were not included in the ICES assessment. Any catch of small undulate ray would continue to be discarded with a high survival rate.The stock of undulate ray in the English Channel is managed under a specific total allowable catch (TAC). This precautionary TAC has been increasing since 2016 as the biomass index has increased, however, it is constraining and results in high discard rates (e.g. 93% discarded in 2021). From 2019-2022, the TAC has been 234 tonnes for 7.d and 7.e combined. In 2023, the TAC increased substantially to 3,192 tonnes (with a 33% allocation to the UK).

The undulate ray fishery in the English Channel has only recently reopened. Multiple management measures are in place, however, it is too soon to know if these measures will be effective.The stock of undulate ray in the English Channel is managed under a specific TAC. This precautionary TAC has been increasing since 2016 following the biomass index but it is constraining, resulting in high discard rates.Each calendar year, a fishing vessel may retain on board and land any undulate ray caught in the English Channel, provided that the following conditions are met:No undulate ray may be caught between 1st May - 31st AugustNo more than 200kg of undulate ray (live weight) may be retained on board or landed per fishing tripNo undulate ray which measures less than 78 cm, or more than 97 cm, when measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail shall be retained on board or landedNo undulate ray may be transshippedUndulate ray may only be retained on board or landed whole or guttedSkates and rays caught in the Northwest waters (ICES subareas 6 and 7) and North Sea waters (ICES subareas 2a, 3a and 4) with all fishing gears, are exempt from the landing obligation, based on their high survivability rates. Any skates and rays that are discarded are required to be released immediately and below the sea surface. Both the EU and UK have fishery management measures in place, which can include catch limits, targets for population sizes and fishing mortality, and controls on what fishing gear can be used and where. In the EU, compliance with regulations has been variable, and there are ongoing challenges with implementing some of them. There was a target for fishing to be at Maximum Sustainable Yield by 2020, but this was not achieved.In the UK, it is too early to tell how effective management is, as the Fisheries Act only came into force in January 2021. The Act requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) but there are no details yet on how and when these will be developed. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. MCS is keen to see FMPs for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being metTimeframes for stock recoveryTechnologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to support data collection and improve transparency and accountabilityConsideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery

Gillnets can be very size selective for the target fish but can be unselective at the species level for both non-target fish and for mammals, birds and turtles.Undulate ray prefer the slightly warmer water around the south of England and off the Welsh coast. Skates and rays are normally taken as bycatch and undulate ray in the English channel are mostly caught in bottom trawls (56%), nets (28%) and beam trawls (6%).Gillnets and fixed nets can be very size selective, but can bycatch species such as sharks, cetaceans and other marine mammals. Reports indicate that there is concern regarding the bycatch of cetaceans, particularly harbour porpoise, by gillnets. The IUCN lists harbour porpoise as being of least concern globally, but vulnerable in Europe. They are also classified as a priority species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework and are protected under the European Union (EU) Habitats Directive and Habitats Regulations as transposed into UK law, under which there are explicit bycatch requirements. To comply with the Habitats Directive, the UK has recently designated five Special Areas for Conservation for harbour porpoises, however, there is currently no management in place for these.One of the areas of most concern is off the South West of England, where areas of higher gillnet fishing effort coincide with areas of larger harbour porpoise populations. While cetacean bycatch has been a long-term problem around Cornwall, the occurrence of stranded cetaceans has increased over the last two decades. In 2019, 24% of stranded cetaceans exhibited features consistent with bycatch or entanglement in fishing gear, a further 19% were assessed as being possible bycatch, and 52% had an unknown cause of death. However, this stock does not cover the Western English Channel, and harbour porpoise bycatch is not considered to be a problem in the Eastern English Channel.Because of gillnets' durability (they are made of nylon), if lost, they 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. Fish caught in trammel nets are often very good quality as they are not damaged by the capture process.