Smooth Skates have a grey-brown back with large dark spots. As their name suggests, they have smooth skin. They can grow to a body length of 155 cm, though most are around 100 cm, with females growing larger than males.
Smooth Skate have a maximum age of 28 years. Maturity in females is reached at a length of 112 cm and 13 years of age. Males reach maturity at 93 cm and 8 years old. Smooth Skate lay two eggs at a time in spring-summer, but it is not known how often this happens in a year.
Smooth Skate are most commonly found around the South Island, but are known all around New Zealand. They are found at depths of around 500 m.
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Key statistics
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1 Reported commercial catch is calculated for the 12 month period to 30/09/2025 |
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2 Quota value and exports are calculated pro-rata to reported commercial catch for the 12 month period to 30/09/2025 |
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