Norwegian record Thornback ray: 10.75 kg

About Thornback ray

The thornback ray (Raja clavata) is one of the most common skates on the Norwegian coast. It has a kite-shaped disc with a short, blunt snout, and both the disc and the tail carry many thorns. Large, button-like thorns with broad bases give the species its name. The upper side is light brown to grey with dark blotches and often pale or yellowish patches, and the underside is creamy white. Thornbacks range from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean north to Iceland. In Norway they are most common up to Trøndelag. They live on sand, gravel and mud, usually at 10 to 60 m but down to about 300 m, and eat crabs, shrimps and small fish. Females grow to about 1.2 m and lay egg cases on the seabed. They are sometimes taken on fish or herring bait on a bottom rig over soft ground. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC); IUCN: Near Threatened (NT).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Thornback ray in FishComp

9.65 kg (90 % of the record) by Frode Lothe. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.