central North Sea. Shallow coastal and inshore waters of the North Sea provide juvenile plaice with nursery habitats, with the Wadden Sea off the Dutch and German coast considered the most important (Wegner et al. 2003; Teal 2011). One year old plaice show a mainly coastal distribution whilst the older age classes gradually disperse offshore, from nursery areas (ICES, 2012a). As shown in Figure 11.14, the western section of the offshore cable corridor overlaps with an area defined as a low intensity nursery ground for plaice (Ellis et al. 2010).
66.
In the southern North Sea and English Channel where tides are stronger, the migratory behaviour of plaice is influenced by the speed and direction of tidal flows (Creutzberg et al. 1978; Rijnsdorp et al. 1985, cited in Hufnag et al. 2012). Mature fish are thought to select the tidal streams flowing towards spawning grounds whilst spent fish use the reciprocal tidal stream to return to feeding grounds (Cefas, 2012).
67.
Spawning in the North Sea occurs over a wide area, across most of the offshore and deeper areas of the southern North Sea and off the UK coast from Flamborough Head to the Moray Firth with spawning areas connected to known nursery areas (Hufnag et al. 2013, ICES, 2012a).
68. As shown by Figure 11.14 (Ellis et al.2010), areas of egg production are extensive, ranging from the English Channel to as far north as approximately latitude 58°N off the coast of Norway. The main centres of egg concentrations are considered to be located in the English Channel, Southern Bight and German Bight (Hufnag et al. 2013). The charts produced by CHARM (Figure 11.15) illustrate considerable variation in the annual abundance and distribution of plaice stage one eggs.
69.
Ichthyoplankton surveys (Diagram 11.2) have generally found plaice stage one eggs in the southern North Sea between December and March with the highest concentrations in the eastern southern North Sea occurring in January (van Damme et al. 2011). This coincides with the finding of Rijnsdorp (1989), Simpson (1959) and Harding et al. (1978) which suggest spawning as peaking during the last two weeks of January. Tagging by Hunter et al. (2003) found strong spawning area fidelity with individual fish returning to the same spawning areas.
70.
Juvenile nursery areas are generally in shallow (< 10m deep), sandy or muddy areas (Zijlstra, 1972; van der Veer 1986; Able et al. 2005 cited in Hufnag et al. 2013).
Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014
East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm
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