BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Dipturus batis
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Ken Neal & Paolo Pizzolla	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	This information is not refereed.
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Populations of Dipturus batis are found off the coasts of Isles of Scilly, western British Channel, west and north Ireland and west Scotland.
Global distribution	Atlantic coasts from Madeira and northern Morocco northward to Iceland including the North Sea. Also in western part of the Baltic and western and northern Mediterranean.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	10 to 600 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Dipturus batis was found around all British and Irish coasts except the south east. However, it has disappeared from much of its former range due to fishing pressure (Brander, 1981, Walker & Hislop, 1998; Jennings et al., 1999; Rogers & Ellis, 2000). Remnant populations occur in areas unsuitable for commercial fishing (Shark Trust pers. comm.).

Substratum preferences	Muddy gravel Coarse clean sand Fine clean sand Sandy mud Muddy sand Mud Mixed	Physiographic preferences	Open coast Offshore seabed
Biological zone	Upper Infralittoral Lower Infralittoral Upper Circalittoral Lower Circalittoral	Wave exposure	Very Exposed Exposed Moderately Exposed Sheltered Very Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Strong (3-6 kn) Moderately Strong (1-3 kn) Weak (<1 kn) Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Muus & Dahlstrom, 1974, Dipper, 2001, Walker & Hislop, 1998, Brander, 1981, JNCC, 1999, Rogers & Ellis, 2000, Whitehead et al., 1986, Jennings et al. 1999,