NURSERY GROUNDS OF DAB (LIMANDA-LIMANDA L) IN THE SOUTHERN NORTH-SEA

The distribution of 0-group dab, Limanda limanda L., in the open North Sea, the Dutch coastal zone and the estuarine Wadden Sea was investig ated and patterns of seasonal abundance and growth were compared. The purpose was to locate the nursery grounds of dab and to assess their r elative importance. Settlement was observed in the North Sea, both in coastal and offshore waters. Highest densities of 0-group dab were fou nd in coastal areas. Since the coastal zone covers only a relatively s mall part of the North Sea it is not necessarily the most important nu rsery area for dab. No settlement of dab occurred in the Wadden Sea. L arge numbers of juveniles were caught in the tidal channels and subtid al areas in autumn, but their size range indicated that migration rath er than settlement was responsible for the observed increase in number s. A similar process of inshore migration occurred in shallow coastal waters in October. Growth of 0-group dab was more or less similar in a ll areas. Mean length increased to 6-7 cm by the end of the first year of life.