Publication Abstract

Determinancy of fecundity in sole (Solea solea) from the Bristol Channel

J.W. Horwood and M. Greer Walker

Ovaries of the common sole (Solea solea (Linnaeus)) were collected prior to, or at the beginning of, spawning from the spawning grounds in the Bristol Channel. Size frequency distributions of oocytes over 100 gm are presented. They clearly show a break in the size frequency distributions, at about 170 gm, indicating that the production of new oocytes to be spawned that season had ceased. It indicates that the sole is a determinate spawner and that, at least for this population, an annual potential fecundity can be measured. Estimated annual fecundity at length of Bristol Channel sole is calculated, and values are compared with those found for sole from the North Sea, eastern English Channel and the Bay of Biscay.

Reference:

J.W. Horwood and M. Greer Walker, 1990. Determinancy of fecundity in sole (Solea solea) from the Bristol Channel. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 70: 803-813.