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The Forth estuary: a nursery and overwintering area for North Sea fishes

  • Conference paper
Book cover North Sea—Estuaries Interactions

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 55))

Abstract

The fish community of the Forth estuary, Scotland, has several components — estuarine resident species, diadromus migratory species, marine and freshwater adventitious species, marine juvenile migrants using the area as a nursery, and adults of marine species with seasonal migrations. The population changes during the period 1981–88 in six species representative of the last two categories are described here. The species are the juvenile gadoids, whiting, Merlangius merlangus (L.) and cod, Gadus morhua L., juvenile flatfish, plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L. and common dab, Limanda limanda (L.), and the adult clupeids, sprat, Sprattus sprattus (L.) and herring, Clupea harengus L.

The species’ population changes are described in relation to aspects of wider significance such as commercial fishing for these species in North Sea areas. In particular, the underlying decline of the juvenile cod populations since 1981 in the Forth Estuary is discussed in relation to the recent reduction in commercial fishing quotas.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. C. J. L. Taylor

    Present address: CEGB Corporate Environment Unit, London, EC4P4EB, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forth River Purification Board, Tidal Waters Section, Port Edgar, South Queensferry, Edinburgh, EH30 9SQ, UK

    M. Elliott, M. G. O’Reilly & C. J. L. Taylor

Authors
  1. M. Elliott
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  2. M. G. O’Reilly
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  3. C. J. L. Taylor
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Stirling, UK

    Donald S. McLusky

  2. Rijkswaterstaat, The Netherlands

    Victor N. de Jonge

  3. Northumbrian Water, UK

    John Pomfret

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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Elliott, M., O’Reilly, M.G., Taylor, C.J.L. (1990). The Forth estuary: a nursery and overwintering area for North Sea fishes. In: McLusky, D.S., de Jonge, V.N., Pomfret, J. (eds) North Sea—Estuaries Interactions. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 55. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2000-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2000-2_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7395-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2000-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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