First observation of a skate egg case nursery in the Ross Sea

A deepwater skate egg case nursery is defined in a discrete location at ~460 m off Cape Adare in the Southern Ocean after observations were recorded from a deepwater video imaging system. The morphology and size of the egg cases were consistent with the genus Bathyraja, and most likely belong to the species, Bathyraja sp. (cf. eatonii). The nursery occurs within the ‘no take’ General Protection Zone (GPZi) of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area, where commercial fishing is prohibited, thus providing full protection for this essential habitat. Areas of importance to Southern Ocean skates are poorly defined so this discovery adds valuable new information. We recommend future research should continue to survey the sea floor using non-destructive methods such as seabed video imaging to characterise areas of essential habitat for skates. Sampling of egg cases at these locations would be useful to confidently confirm species identification.