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Beringraja binoculata

(Girard, 1855)

Big Skate

G5Secure Found in 14 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105507
Element CodeAFDFD01020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderRajiformes
FamilyRajidae
GenusBeringraja
Synonyms
Dipturus binoculataGirard, 1854Raja binoculataGirard, 1855
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Transferred from the genus Raja to Beringraja (Page et al. 2023; Fricke et al. 2025).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2017-02-10
Change Date2017-02-10
Edition Date2004-11-05
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Rank Reasons
Wide range in the temperate eastern Pacific Ocean; likely declining in abundance as a result of commercial exploitation, but better information is needed on population trends.
Range Extent Comments
Temperate waters of eastern Pacific Ocean; eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, west to Unalaska Island and southward off southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and northern and central Baja California (to vicinity of Cedros Island, but rare south of Point Conception, California) (Eschmeyer and Herald 1983, Mecklenburg et al. 2002).
Threat Impact Comments
This skate matures at a late age, grows slowly, and has a low reproductive rate; it is potentially vulnerable to overfishing. Big skates are taken in targeted skate fisheries and incidentally as bycatch primarily by bottom trawlers (increasingly they are retained for sale as "skate wings" or "scallops"), but there is insufficient information on the impact of this on populations of this species. See National Marine Fisheries Service (12 May 2004, Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Skates Management in the Groundfish Fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska. Federal Register 69(92):26313-26320). See also Bester, Florida Museum of Natural History, at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/BigSkate/BigSkate.html.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Often on sandy or muddy bottoms, sometimes in low stands of kelp, in bays, estuaries, and on continental shelf at depths of 3-800 m, usually less than 200 m (Mecklenburg et al. 2002).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaSNRYes
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
OregonSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource use——High (continuing)
5.4 - Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources——High (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (14)
Alaska (12)
AreaForestAcres
Chugach-3Chugach National Forest27,386
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
MadanTongass National Forest68,553
Middle KruzofTongass National Forest14,724
North KruzofTongass National Forest33,146
North KupreanofTongass National Forest114,660
North WrangellTongass National Forest8,091
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
Sitka SoundTongass National Forest13,459
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
Windham-Port HoughtonTongass National Forest161,952
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
TahkenitchSiuslaw National Forest5,799
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
References (7)
  1. Eschmeyer, W. N., and E. S. Herald. 1983. A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 336 pp.
  2. Fricke, R., W. N. Eschmeyer, and R. van der Laan (eds). 2025. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. Online. Available: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. Accessed 2025.
  3. Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, and L. K. Thorsteinson. 2002. Fishes of Alaska. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxxvii + 1,037 pp.
  4. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  5. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  6. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  7. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.