The Fishery Biology of Two Deep-Water Skates, Bathyraja schroederi and Amblyraja frerichsi (Rajiformes: Rajidae), from the Southeast Pacific Ocean

Chile is a biodiverse region for deep-water skates (Rajiformes), with 36 species documented in national waters, of which 73% correspond to deep-water species. Among them, the Thickbody skate (Amblyraja frerichsi) and Whitemouth skate (Bathyraja schroederi) are two poorly documented species with relatively high abundances. However, the current information is limited to a few specimens reported over the last 50 years between southern Brazil (SW Atlantic) and central Chile (SE Pacific). In the Southeast Pacific, both species are bycatch in the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) fishery, which operates along the Chilean coast between 800 and 1600 m of depth. This study examined aspects of demography and reproductive biology based on data from 190 specimens (125 A. frerichsi and 65 B. schroederi) obtained from the fishery in northern Chile. The new data contribute to enhancing our understanding of deep-water skate communities and highlight the vulnerability and fishing pressure experienced across their geographic distribution.