Abstract. – Skates are the main elasmobranch species exploited in the Northern Atlantic Ocean in France and the United Kingdom, especially in the English Channel. The reported international landings show that the fishery is actually dominated by five species Raja clavata, R. brachyura, R. montagui, Leucoraja naevus and R. undulata. The stomach contents of R. clavata showed that crustaceans and fish dominate the diet. The on-board observations showed that females lay eggs in pairs on sand or mud between February and September, especially in June. The diet of R. montagui (mainly juveniles in the sample) is strongly dominated by crustaceans mainly, decapods (crabs and shrimps), mysida (mysids) and amphipoda (amphipods). The spotted ray breeds between April and July. Despite their critical conservation status and the current OSPAR conventions, the different species of skates were subject to intensive fishing in the last 40 years. The Total Allowable Catches (TACs) applied for 2020 concerns all skate species (Raja spp.) except R. undulata. However, there is no size limit based on the sexual maturity of each species, or any restriction during the laying period. The preservation of protected coastal sites that play a functional role for these species is necessary.