Bathyraja rays, a diverse genus of deepwater skates found primarily in cold and temperate oceanic regions, are notable for their broad, flattened bodies and long, slender tails. These benthic elasmobranchs inhabit continental slopes and deep-sea environments, where they play a role in marine ecosystems as both predators and prey. The fishing industry for Bathyraja rays is relatively specialized and often occurs as bycatch in deep-sea trawl and longline fisheries targeting other species. The top countries harvesting Bathyraja rays—often grouped as "not elsewhere included" (nei) in FAO statistics due to the difficulty in species-level identification—include Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Chile. These nations exploit the rich deepwater resources of the North Pacific, South Pacific, and Southern Oceans, where Bathyraja rays are landed for their meat and, occasionally, their cartilage. Management of Bathyraja fisheries is challenging due to limited biological data and the vulnerability of deepwater skates to overfishing, prompting calls for improved monitoring and species-specific reporting.
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Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.