California Skate, Beringraja inornata
California Skate, Beringraja inornata, Male. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, June 2009. Total Length: 52 cm (20 inches); Disc Length: 30 cm (11 inches); Disc Width 33 cm (13 inches); Tail 22 cm (8.7 inches). Identification courtesy of Clinton A. J. Duffy, Auckland, New Zealand.
California Skate, Beringraja inornata, Female. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2012. Total Length: 62 cm (2 fee 0 inches); Disc Length: 42 cm (16 inches); Disc Width 40 cm (16 inches); Tail 20 cm (7.9 inches). Identification courtesy of Clinton A. J. Duffy, Auckland, New Zealand.
The California Skate, Beringraja inornata, is a member of the Skate or Rajidae Family, that is also known as the California Ray and in Mexico as raya de California. Globally, there are thirty-two species in the genus Raja, of which eight are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and five in the Pacific Ocean.
The California Skate has a large flattened diamond-shaped disc, which include the head, body, and pectoral fins. The disc length is similar to the width and the tail is approximately 50% of the disc length. Their head and “wings” are pointed. Their coloration is olive-brown on the back and off-white on the underside. Some fish have dark ocelli spots at the base of each pectoral fin. Their head is long and sharply pointed with a rigid snout with concave sides. They have large spiracles behind their eyes, deeply notched pelvic fins with 2 distinct lobes with the rear lobe being the largest, 2 small dorsal fins, and no caudal fin. They have 1 row of spines along the tail that extends into the pelvic fins; on some fish the row of spines extends to the mid-back. The dorsal side of the disc is covered with small scattered denticles.
The California Skate is found over sandy bottoms at depths between 14 m (45 feet) and 1,600 m (5,250 feet). They reach a maximum of 75 cm (2 feet 6 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.25 kg (2 lbs 12 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Long Beach, California in March 2014. They consume shrimp, polychaete worms, and small benthic fish. They are oviparous and lay large eggs in black or dark green leathery shells, known as Mermaid’s Purses, which have an oblong outline with a hollow tendril at each corner which is used to attach to marine objects. They are produced in pairs with each case containing up to seven embryos. The California Skate is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The California Skate is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but has a limited distribution being found only along the entire west coast of Baja and throughout the Sea of Cortez. They are absent from along the coast of the mainland south to Guatemala.
The California Skate can be confused with the Equatorial Skate, Rostroraja equatorialis (tail with multiple rows of spines; thorns on edges of pectoral fins) and the Rasptail Skate, Rostroraja velezi (large thorns on tail; two ocelli spots on back).
From a conservation perspective the California Skate is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are caught primarily as a by-catch of deep water shrimp trawls and by shark fishermen on hook and line. They are fairly common and sold commercially for human consumption on a limited basis. They are considered an excellent food fish and are a major component of fish tacos.