Skate landings as bycatch of trawlers at Mumbai declined from 1204.4 t in 1989
to 194.6 t in 2003, with an average annual landing of 334.8 t, at a catch rate of
248 kg/hr. The fishing pressure has reached optimum level, which is evidenced
by a decline in catch and catch rate of skate population. Rhynchobatus djiddensis
(93.2%) was the most dominant species, which landed throughout the year.
Infomations on the biology of five species Rhynchobatus djiddensis, Rhina
ancylostoma, Rhinobatus granulatus, Rhinobatus obtusus and Rhinobatus
annandalei are presented
