Flapper Skate protection: NatureScot advice to the Scottish Government

Flapper skate egg identification

We are confident that the eggs observed in the Inner Sound are flapper skate eggs. Adult blue skate and white skate are similar in size to flapper skate and therefore lay similar-sized eggs but there are key differences in the distribution of the species and the morphology of the eggs. The Shark Trust Great Egg Case Hunt materials^[1] describe blue skate eggs as being smaller and squarer in appearance compared to flapper skate, and white skate eggs having more pronounced curly horns. In addition, blue skate are generally more common closer to the shelf edge while flapper skate are more common in coastal waters. Blue skate also have a more southerly distribution than flapper skate although the distribution of both species overlaps in the Celtic Sea (west of England and south of Ireland). White skate also have a more southerly distribution, the furthest north they occur is also in the Celtic Sea.