The influence of nursery ground processes in the determination of year-class strength in juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. in Port Erin Bay, Irish Sea
Rdm. Nash et Aj. Geffen, The influence of nursery ground processes in the determination of year-class strength in juvenile plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. in Port Erin Bay, Irish Sea, J SEA RES, 44(1-2), 2000, pp. 101-110
The interannual variability in settlement and mortality of juvenile plaice
Pleuronectes platessa L. was investigated between 1992 and 1998 on Port Eri
n Bay, west side of the Isle of Man, Irish Sea. The dampening influence of
factors operating on the nursery grounds was especially obvious in 1992 and
1996. In these years extremely high numbers of individuals settled, yet th
e population sizes in July were similar to other years. Thus the nursery gr
ound processes were likely to be density dependent. Shrimp and crab densiti
es were low in Port Erin Bay and probably had little predatory impact on yo
ung plaice. Crustacean densities were not significantly related to winter t
emperatures. In the Irish Sea. year-class strength is determined during the
nursery ground phase, in contrast to the North Sea where determination of
year-class strength occurs prior to the nursery ground phase. (C) 2000 Else
vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.