The
common skate has a pointed snout. Its length is 2,5-3,5 times
the space between the eyes. Its flippers are large and wide with
rounded points to each side. The tail is short with two dorsal
fins. The colour of the under side is greyish with darkblue
spots. On top it is gray or yellowish gray with dark og light
spots.
Its habitats are in the North Atlantic all the way to the
Mediterranean. It is not found off the coasts of Greenland or
North America. Its average length is 1,5 metres, but 2,5 metres
long animals have been caught, and the greatest weight was 100
kilogrammes. In 1978, the Icelandic catch was 424 tonnes.
The
skate is found at all depths. In the neighbouring oceans to
Iceland it is believed to spawn in the autumn and during winter, but
in Icelandic waters late in winter or in the spring. The eggs
are aquamarine when they are alive, but change colour when they dry
up. They are unusually large, 9x16 cm. and take 2-5 months to
hatch or even longer, depending on the temperature.
The skate feeds off various species of fish, worms and crustacae.
The main fishing grounds ar in the North Sea, off the coasts of
Norway, Faroe Islands, and Iceland. Usually it is caught on hook
or in trawl nets. The Icelanders appreciate the skate as food
fish and have traditionally processed it in a similiar way as the
Greenland shark. |