The Tasmanian endemic Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is listed as endangered under both Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) has developed a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for the species. The CAP identifies priority research and conservation management actions for recovery of the species.
The species is also included as a priority under the Australian Government’s 2022-203 Threatened Species Action Plan: Towards Zero Extinctions.
Description
The Maugean skate is a medium-sized species, with mature females reaching a maximum of 84cm in total length, and males reaching a maximum of 70cm.
Male Maugean skate can be told apart from females by the presence of claspers at the beginning of the tail.
The Common thornback skate (Dentiraja lemprieri) also occurs in Tasmanian estuaries, and can be differentiated from the Maugean skate by its:
smaller size
short, rounded snout
long and narrow claspers
Maugean skate. Copyright Jane Rucker/IMAS
Why is the Maugean skate endangered?
Two of the key threats to the Maugean skate are habitat degradation and loss, particularly documented declines in dissolved oxygen levels and in sediment health, and unintended mortalities from entanglement in fishing nets set to catch other species.
Other identified potential threats or limiting factors include:
predation (for example from fur seals and parasitic sea lice)
pollution, such as from historic mining runoff
habitat changes linked to altered river flows from hydroelectric production
increased nutrient loadings from aquaculture operations
low genetic diversity and inbreeding
climate change impacts
Need for conservation action
The Maugean skate is known only from Macquarie Harbour and Bathurst Harbour, on Tasmania’s remote west coast. However, the status of the population in Bathurst Harbour has long been uncertain, with only four individuals ever caught from this location. Recent research by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) shows that Macquarie Harbour is now considered to hold the sole remaining viable population of the species.
Encouragingly, recent
monitoring suggests a potential increase in the relative abundance of the remaining skate population in Macquarie Harbour. Survey estimates from 2024 are comparable to those from the baseline year of 2014, and the capture of juveniles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 indicates possible recruitment success. These trends coincide with an improvement in the environmental conditions within the harbour, particularly increasing dissolved oxygen levels.
Despite these positive signs, the population is still small and highly vulnerable to environmental changes. Therefore, the Maugean skate remains at high risk of extinction and ongoing monitoring, research and conservation action remain critical to the species’ recovery.
What is being done to help the Maugean skate?
The CAP for the Maugean Skate identifies priority research and conservation management actions for recovery of the species, many of which are currently underway or have been completed.
There are a range of conservation actions that have been undertaken or funded by the Tasmanian Government to reduce the likelihood of extinction for the species. These include, but are not limited to:
Publication of a Listing Statement
| The Listing Statement provides a basis for detailed conservation planning. It: - summarises contemporary species and population data
- identifies threats to the species
- outlines research and conservation and management needs
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Changes to gillnetting rules in Macquarie Harbour
| Research shows that Maugean skate can rely on shallow areas of Macquarie Harbour to access highly oxygenated water. This behaviour increases the likelihood that skate may encounter gillnets set to catch other species. Gillnets set for long periods of time increase the chances of mortality for any skate entangled. A recreational gillnetting ban in Macquarie Harbour came into effect on 1 November 2024. This change is part of the Tasmanian Government’s wider policy to phase-out recreational gillnetting statewide by 2030.
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Ensure viable habitat in Macquarie Harbour
| In September 2022 the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) issued a Total Permissible Dissolved Nitrogen Output for Macquarie Harbour. This was to improve environmental indicators including levels of dissolved oxygen. This determination reduced dissolved nitrogen outputs by approximately 10% compared with 2021 levels. The EPA has also developed dissolved oxygen targets for Macquarie Harbour. Additional actions to ensure a viable habitat for the Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour are detailed in the CAP. |
Community education and awareness
| The Tasmanian West Coast community have shown a long-term interest in Maugean skate conservation and a willingness to share local knowledge and participate in citizen science actions. In 2023, NRE Tas held a series of meetings in Strahan and Queenstown to better understand the varying views, interests and impacts across the West Coast community. Community engagement has also been undertaken through the Cradle Coast Natural Resource Management’s Maugean Skate Awareness Project, which used a variety of community-based activities to engage with diverse audiences on the topic of skate conservation.
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Captive program
| The Maugean skate captive management program was established in December 2023 as an urgent conservation measure. Eggs and adults were collected from the wild, and both wild and captive-laid eggs have successfully hatched. A Captive Management Strategy has been developed to guide the program. NRE Tas is funding several aspects of the captive program, including ongoing housing and husbandry, genetic sequencing, facility infrastructure upgrades, research to produce ‘harbour ready skate’ (i.e. to determine the requirements for ensuring captive bred individuals are equipped for wild release), and research into germ cell transplantation surrogacy and artificial insemination.
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National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate
NRE Tas and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) have established the National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate, which provides a representative, collaborative and transparent framework for coordinated conservation management of the species. The Recovery Team includes representation from all stakeholder groups with a significant interest, or relevant technical expertise, in Maugean skate conservation planning and its potential impacts on the community, as well as environmental remediation.
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Terms of Reference (PDF 260Kb)
Meetings of the National Recovery Team for the Maugean skate are jointly hosted by NRE Tas and DCCEEW. Public communiques summarising the outcomes of recovery team meetings can be found below:
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 1: Public Communique 4 August 2023 (PDF 230Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 2: Public Communique 12 October 2023 (PDF 145Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 3: Public Communique 20 - 21 February 2024 (PDF 238Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 4: Public Communique 30 - 31 July 2024 (PDF 489Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 5: Public Communique 12 November 2024 (PDF 192Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 6: Public Communique 18 February 2025 (PDF 558Kb)
National Recovery Team for the Maugean Skate Meeting 7: Public Communique 28 July 2025 (PDF 553Kb)
More information
DCCEEW have developed a Fact Sheet on Maugean Skate Conservation: