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Stock Status within the North Sea Plaice
Key Findings
- Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is a benthic coastal species that lies partly buried on the seabed during the day and is typically active at night. The species is mostly abundant in the southern North Sea and the east coast of the UK. A type of flatfish, plaice usually display spawning activity throughout the shallower parts of the southern North Sea and off the eastern coast of Britain (from Flamborough Head to the Moray Firth) peaking between February and March (fig. 1). The eggs are distributed across the water column and the larvae undergo metamorphosis to concentrate on the seabed. The juveniles seek refuge in shallow, sandy bays and estuaries on the North Sea coasts of England and continental Europe that act as nursery grounds, and they disperse further offshore with increasing age. They have adapted to successfully spawn in areas with strong tidal currents by ‘selective tidal transport’, which is also utilised in the seasonal migration between spawning and feeding grounds and by metamorphosised larvae.
- Plaice are commercially exploited in coastal waters using gill nets and deeper waters by bottom-trawl fisheries, mainly as target species (or bycatch) in the beam-trawl fishery.
- North Sea Plaice are considered to be a 'Best Choice' by the Marine Conservation Society in the northern North Sea.
- Landings for local ports are not listed within Scottish Fisheries Statistics. Combined Scottish catches are shown in Figure 3 - with a peak in 2018 - then a decline in volume and value.
- Catches of Plaice increased in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in a reduction in Stock Biomass. Since the mid-2000s catching and effort have reduced and stock biomass has increased.
Figure 1: Nursery and spawning areas in Scotland
Figure 2: ICES Stock assessment for Plaice
Figure 3: Scottish Fisheries Statistics - Tonnage and value of Plaice landings by Scottish Vessels into Scotland
Notes
Linked Information Sheets
Seafood Landings by Tonnage into the North East of Scotland - Employment in the fishing industry offshore - Employment in the fishing industry onshore - Markets for Seafood - Fraserburgh Harbour, Peterhead Harbour - Aberdeen Harbour - Small Harbours north of Aberdeen - Small Harbours South of Aberdeen – Status of key commercial species – Numbers of fishing vessels - Training - Employment - Mackerel line catch value
Key sources of Information
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Status
Live. Update due 09/01/2026
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E-mail: ian.hay@stateofthecoast.scot