SUFB 602: Barndoor Skate Makes A Huge Comeback!!!

The Barndoor skate is a huge skate species living off the coast of the Northeastern US and was once a commercially viable species; however, from 1971 to 1998, the barndoor skate population numbers were very low to the point where fisheries scientists were worried that the species were going extinct. the population had been overfished for years.

In 2000, the large skate species was added to the Endangered Species List, which seemed to be the right thing to do as the population has now almost fully recovered from being overfished and back to 1965 population numbers. Is it time to start to fish them again?

Researchers are cautiously optimistic on their viability as a commercial fisheries and are looking into the matter. Fisheries management of a recovered species is a complex issue as managers want to make sure that the species population is stable during fishing activities.

Do you think managers should open up the fisheries again? Let me know in the Facebook Group.

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

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