Variability in settlement and recruitment of 0-group dab Limanda limanda L. in Port Erin Bay, Irish Sea

Inter-annual variability in settlement and recruitment of 0-group dab Limanda limanda L. was investigated between 1996 and 2003 on Port Erin Bay, Isle of Man. The annual settlement index of post larvae dab (ind ≤ 20 mm) varied considerably between years with a corresponding coefficient of variation of 97%. The timing of the settlement of dab was associated with metamorphosis and varied significantly with temporal variation in estimated spawning activity. Inter-annual variation in the numbers of settling post larvae was strongly associated with stage one larvae abundance indices from adjacent offshore waters. 0-group abundance indices were significantly correlated with the index of settlement abundance, but not however, with larvae indices. These relationships suggest that the strength of the recruiting year-class of 0-group dab in Port Erin Bay is established early in life, during or before the pelagic phase, in the waters west of the Isle of Man. Inter-annual variability in 0-group mortality rates suggests a possible density-dependent process operating during the nursery ground phase.