The Starry or thorny Skate (Raja radiata : Amblyraja radiata) is found in the northeast and northwest Atlantic at depths of 18–1,400 m, but is most common in 27–439 m. There is evidence which might support population segregation and sub-division into subpopulations, but at this time it is unknown if genetic mixing of subpopulations takes place in either the northeast or northwest Atlantic stocks. Its geographic range includes contrasting population trends: relatively stable in recent years in Canada and the Northeast Atlantic, yet declining in the USA. 

Amblyraja radiata is found in the central North Sea and the stock is concentrated in areas IVa,b with some connectivity with area IIa. There is no evidence of changes in distribution (Ellis et al. 2010).

In the North Sea about ten skate and ray species occur as well as seven demersal shark species. WGEF is still concerned over the possibility of misidentifications of skates in some of the recent IBTS surveys, especially between R. clavata and starry ray (or thorny skate) Amblyraja radiata, which stock boundaries are not well known. The stock structure of Starry ray in the Northeast Atlantic is not known (Chevolot et al., 2007).

Demersal elasmobranchs are caught as a bycatch in the mixed demersal fisheries for roundfish and flatfish. A few inshore vessels target skates and rays with tanglenets and longlines. For a description of the demersal fisheries see the Report of the Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak (ICES 2012) and the report of the DELASS project (Heessen 2003). The 25% bycatch ratio brought in by the EC has restrained some fisheries and may have resulted in misreporting since 2007, both of area and species composition.

Up to 2008 they have traditionally been landed and reported in mixed categories such as “skates and rays” and “sharks”. For assessment purposes species-specific landings data are essential. Some doubts exist as to the quality of the data provided (ICES 2013).