Publication Abstract

Implications for current management advice for North Sea plaice: Part II Increased biological realism in recruitment, growth, density dependent sexual maturation and the impact of sexual dimorphism and fishery discards

Implications for current management advice for North Sea plaice: Part II. Increased biological realism in recruitment, growth, density dependent sexualmaturation and the impact of sexual dimorphism and fishery discards

L. T. Kell and P. J. Bromley

Since the early 20th century there have been many descriptions of variation in the growth and sexual maturation of North Sea plaice, both through time and between the sexes. There have also been large changes in plaice abundance and recruitment that have occurred against a background of increasing fishing pressure and varying environmental conditions. Discarding of small fish by the fishery can also influence the productivity of the stock and bias our perception of it. This paper evaluates the importance of trends in growth and recruitment, density dependent sexual maturation and discarding and considers their implications for current stock assessment and management practice. It was found that density dependence may be important at low stock levels in preventing stock collapse and that the productivity of the stock can vary over a short time scale of about 10 years. However, the most important factor for management of the stock was likely to be discarding of small fish.

Reference:

L.T. Kell and P. J. Bromley (2004) Implications for current management advice for North Sea plaice: Part II. Increased biological realism in recruitment, growth, density dependent sexualmaturation and the impact of sexual dimorphism and fishery discards. Journal of Sea Research, 51(3-4): 301-312

L.T. Kell* and P.J. Bromley*

Journal of Sea Research, 51(3-4): 301-312