Unusual Flapper Skate with Rare Spinal Deformity Discovered in Shetland Waters

During a recent sampling trip for the Shetland Flapper Skate Tagging Project, a peculiar-looking flapper skate, known locally as a ‘barn-door’ skate, was discovered onboard Bryan McCaffrey’s Westside Sea Adventures charter. The large female, with a 1.5-meter wingspan, appeared to have a spinal deformity and was missing its tail.

Although rare, similar cases of spinal deformities have been observed in other shark species worldwide. Mia McAllister, UHI Shetland fisheries scientist aboard the vessel remarked, “Deformities in nature can be weird and wonderful, and it goes to show that these anomalies do occur in natural populations. What’s particularly interesting is that this female seemed otherwise healthy, with no visual evidence of external damage from a traumatic injury. This suggests the defect was likely present from birth or hatching, potentially due to a compromised vertebral column.”

After documenting the deformity, McAllister tagged and released the skate as part of the Shetland Flapper Skate Tagging Project, noting, “It will be fascinating to monitor the growth and fine-scale movements of this individual, to see if and how they differ from other individuals.”

The Shetland Flapper Skate Tagging Project, now halfway through it’s two-year timeline, has already provided valuable insights into the local population through tag recaptures and underwater video analysis. Shaun Fraser, senior fisheries scientist at UHI Shetland, emphasized the importance of continued support from the local angling community and the commercial fishing industry. “We’re urging anyone who encounters our yellow numbered tags on flapper skate wings to report them. This will greatly aid in understanding the movement and growth of flapper skate in our local waters.”

The team also expressed gratitude to the local anglers who have contributed to the tagging efforts, which have significantly enhanced survey coverage. “We’ve started to get recaptures, which is fantastic as it allows us to start building a clearer picture of population movement and growth in the Shetland area,” McAllister added.

About the Shetland Flapper Skate Tagging Project

The Shetland Flapper Skate Tagging Project was initiated by the Marine Science team at UHI Shetland in response to anecdotal evidence suggesting an increase in flapper skate numbers around Shetland. The project aims to study the movement, growth, and population dynamics of flapper skates in the area through employing tag-recapture methods and underwater video cameras.

This project is supported by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) and by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through the National Trust for Scotland’s Love our Nature project.

For information on what to do if you see a tagged skate you can contact the team by WhatsApp on 07385 433508 or by email (tags.shetland@uhi.ac.uk). The team are asking anyone who catches a tagged skate to contact them with the following information:

• Tag number
• Length (from nose tip to tail tip) and width (maximum distance across wings)
• Location (lat/long or grid reference if possible)
• Depth
• Date

To find out more about the project please visit the UHI Shetland website, the Shetland Community Wildlife Group website, or @uhishetlandmarine on Instagram for live updates. The researchers are also particularly keen to join local anglers who might be interested in helping expand the tagging work. If you are an angler and would be willing to help, please contact the UHI Shetland Marine Science team.