The ecological and geographical aspects of the fecundity of the plaice

Abstract

During the last 30 years the fecundity of the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L., has been widely studied over its complete geographical range. In this paper all this previous work is brought together and a distinct pattern (with two exceptions) emerges. The fecundity is lowest in the Southern Bight of the North Sea, and radiating from there in all directions the fecundity increases, while in Faxa Bay (Iceland) and in the Barents Sea it is lower again. The possible factors producing this pattern are examined in detail and it is concluded that the amount of food available, which in turn is related to population density, is the most important. Only in Trondheim Fjord and in the Baltic is the fecundity so different that it is necessary to postulate racially distinct populations. Finally the importance of fecundity variations in natural population regulation is stressed.