The Bering Skate (Bathyraja interrupta) is a medium-sized deepwater skate (to at least 89 cm total length) known from the Bering Sea and eastern Aleutian Islands through the Gulf of Alaska to the southern Strait of Georgia (Canada) in the North Pacific Ocean. It has been recorded on the continental and insular slopes at depths of 23–1,380 m, and most commonly occurs between 100–500 m. Across the North Pacific Ocean, skates are bycatch of industrial trawl, longline, and trap groundfish fisheries, and in some areas, skates comprise up to 10% of the total recorded biomass. The Bering Skate is a bycatch of fisheries targeting groundfish, including Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Alaska Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), and Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). This species is among the most commonly reported skate species on the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) shelf where its abundance is stable and across the EBS shelf and slope and Aleutian Islands combined it has been slightly increasing over the past three generation lengths (45 years). There is increasing international demand for skate products in countries including China, Japan, and Korea and this increased demand has increased skate retention and interest in developing skate targeted fisheries. There are catch limits set for skates (as a group) in Russian and United States waters. Areas of high skate egg density in the United States Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are designated Habitats of Particular Concern which allows management intervention where fishing activity is deemed harmful to the habitat. The population is estimated to be stable where it most commonly occurs and it has deep water refuge across its range from current fishing activities. The Bering Skate is therefore assessed as Least Concern.

The Bering Skate occurs from the northern Kuril Islands across the Bering Sea and eastern Aleutian Islands through the Gulf of Alaska to the southern Strait of Georgia (Canada) in the North Pacific Ocean (Parin et al. 2014, Last et al. 2016, Orlov and Tokranov 2019, Love et al. 2021).

The Bering Skate is amongst the most commonly reported skates on the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) shelf (Ormseth 2020, Tribuzio et al. 2023). Species-specific abundance data are available for the Aleutian Islands (AI), EBS slope, and EBS shelf over 23 years (2000–2023) based on demersal trawl surveys conducted by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (Ormseth 2020, Tribuzio et al. 2023). On the EBS shelf, survey biomass estimates for the Bering Skate decreased slightly from 2000–2004, but have remained stable between ~10,000 to 15,000 tonnes (t) from 2004–2023. On the EBS slope, survey biomass estimates for this species have remained relatively stable between ~2,000 and ~3,500 t from 2002–2023. Total modelled biomass estimates for the Bering Skate in the combined EBS shelf, EBS slope, and AI survey do not show any significant trend although there has been increase since 2019 (Tribuzio et al. 2023).

The trend data from each source were analysed over three generation lengths using a Bayesian state-space framework (Sherley et al. 2020, Winker et al. 2020). This analysis yields an annual rate of change, a median change over three generation lengths, and the probability of the most likely IUCN Red List category percent change over three generation lengths (45 years) (see the Supplementary Information). The trend analysis revealed an annual rate of increase of 0.04%, with the highest probability of a Least Concern status.

Elsewhere across its distribution, the Bering Skate is infrequently reported. The species is rarely observed in research and commercial trawl surveys operating across its distribution in the Northwest Pacific (Orlov and Tokranov 2019). The United States West Coast groundfish fishery (operating along the US Pacific Coast from the Washington−Canada border to the California−Mexico border) reported 0.04 metric tonnes of discarded Bering Skate between 2002 and 2014 and no landed catch (Jannot et al. 2021). Global population trend is estimated to be stable based on abundance data and refuge in deep water outside of current fishing activities.

The Bering Skate is demersal on the continental and insular slopes at depths of 23–1,380 m, and most commonly occurs between 100–500 m (Bizzarro et al. 2014, Orlov and Tokranov 2019, Ormseth 2020, Love et al. 2021). It reaches a maximum size of 89 cm total length (TL) (Ainsley et al. 2014). Males mature at 69–70 cm TL and females mature at 71–72 cm TL with no significant difference in size-at-maturity between the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) (Ainsley et al. 2011). Reproduction is oviparous and continuous with size-at-birth ~16 cm TL (Ainsley et al. 2014, Last et al. 2016). Age-at-maturity and longevity are slightly lower in EBS than the GOA, with female age-at-maturity 11.2 years and 12 years, respectively and maximum age 19 years and 21 years respectively (Ainsley 2009, Ainsley et al. 2011, Ainsley et al. 2014). Thus, in the EBS and GOA, generation length is 15.1 and 16.5 years, respectively.

The Bering Skate is a bycatch of commercial trawl, longline, and trap fisheries targeting groundfish, including Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Alaska Pollock (Gadus chalcogramma), and Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). It may be retained for the meat of the skate wings with retention rates of up to 30% in some fisheries. Post-release mortality is unknown but was 41% for deepwater Bathryaja species in southwest Atlantic trawl fisheries (Ellis et al. 2017).

In Japan, demersal trawl fisheries operate at depths of 50–500 m and effort has decreased markedly over the last three decades and is continuing to decline with fewer fishers and vessels participating in the fishery (NFMT 2017, S. Tanaka pers. comm. 2019). In Russia, the fisheries usually operate to depths of 600–800 m (Ormseth and Matta 2011). There have been occasional experimental fisheries since 2016 that fish to 2,500 m depth (I.V. Volvenko unpub. data 2019) that may constitute a threat if expanded with the interest in developing targeted skate fisheries in the North Pacific. Skate fisheries in Russia are growing: the average annual skate catch reported to official statistics has grown nearly 3-fold, from 1,650 tonnes (t) in 2004–2008, 3,510 t in 2009–2013, and 4,860 t in 2014–2018; there is no species-specific skate catch reporting (Panchenko et al. 2020). In the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island fisheries, the exploitation rate of this species was high during 2008–2018 likely due to high fishing effort in the Eastern Bering Sea outer shelf where this species is concentrated (Ormseth 2020). This was a concern, however, the species' biomass increased during this period and the exploitation rate has also since declined (Ormseth 2020). In the eastern Bering Sea, skate egg cases, including the Bering Skate, are brought to the surface by commercial demersal trawl and longline fishing vessels targeting deepwater fish including Pacific Cod and Greenland Halibut (Stevenson et al. 2019). The Bering Skate is only commercially fished in the upper region of its bathymetric range and has significant refuge at depth from fisheries.

In the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fisheries, 27–51% (average 38%) of all skates were retained from 2011–2023, with larger individuals retained due to the higher market value, and while this may include the Bering Skate, there is limited species-specific information (Tribuzio et al. 2023). Some may be exported to Korea, where international demand for skates is very high, driven by demand for Hongeo or Hongeohoe, fermented skate meat which is a traditional delicacy (Hyun-Su et al. 2013). This species is discarded in Russian waters and in the United States west coast groundfish fisheries (Jannot et al. 2021, Orlov and Volvenko 2022).

There is a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for skates in United States waters. In the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) regions this species is managed as a skate complex. The BSAI TAC for the complex is based on the age structured model for Alaska Skate (B. parmifera) and the combined other skate survey biomass multiplied by an assumed natural mortality rate and has varied little from 2012–2023 and in 2023 was 27,441 t (Tribuzio et al. 2023). In 2015, six areas in the BSAI region of high skate egg density were designated Habitats of Particular Concern which allows management intervention where fishing activity is deemed harmful to the habitat. The 82 square nautical miles of habitat is split into different areas at the continental shelf/slope break, and aims to protect egg cases of various skate species. Targeted fishing for skates in the Gulf of Alaska has been prohibited since 2005 (Ormseth 2021). Further research is needed on population size and trends, and life history, and catch rates should be monitored.