Larval dispersal and juvenile survival are crucial in determining variation in recruitment, stock size and adult distribution of commercially important fish. This study investigates the dispersal of early-life stages of common sole (Solea solea L.) in the southern North Sea, both empirically and through modeling. Age at different life-history events of juvenile flatfish sampled along the coasts of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in 2013, 2014 and 2016, was determined through the counting of daily growth rings in the otoliths. Juveniles captured between August and October were estimated to be on average 140 days old with an average pelagic larval duration of 34 days. The hatching period was estimated between early April and mid-May followed by arrival and settlement in the nurseries between May and mid-June. Growth rates were higher off the Belgian coast than in the other nursery areas, especially in 2013, possibly due to a post-settlement differentiation. Empirical pelagic larval duration and settlement distributions were compared with the Larvae&Co larval dispersal model, which combines local hydrodynamics in the North Sea with sole larval behavior. Yearly predicted and observed settlement matched partially, but the model estimated a longer pelagic phase. The observations fitted even better with the modelled average (1995-2015) distribution curves. Aberrant results for the small juvenile sole sampled along the UK coast in March 2016, led to the hypothesis of a winter disruption in the deposition of daily growth rings, potentially related to starvation and lower food availability. The similarities between measured and modelled distribution curves cross-validated both types of estimations and accredited daily ageing of juveniles as a useful method to calibrate biophysical models and to understand early-life history of fish, both important tools in support of efficient fisheries management strategies.

中文翻译：

---

使用普通鞋底 (Solea solea L.) 的早期生活史特征验证生物物理扩散模型。

幼体的扩散和幼体的存活对于确定具有重要商业价值的鱼类的补充、种群大小和成体分布的变化至关重要。本研究通过实证和建模调查了北海南部普通鳎 (Solea solea L.) 早期生命阶段的扩散。2013 年、2014 年和 2016 年在比利时、荷兰和英国海岸采样的幼年比目鱼在不同生活史事件中的年龄是通过计算耳石中的每日年轮来确定的。估计在 8 月和 10 月之间捕获的幼鱼平均 140 天大，平均远洋幼虫持续时间为 34 天。孵化期预计在 4 月初至 5 月中旬，然后在 5 月至 6 月中旬到达并在托儿所定居。比利时沿海的增长率高于其他育苗区，尤其是在 2013 年，可能是由于定居后的分化。将经验丰富的远洋幼虫持续时间和沉降分布与 Lavae&Co 幼虫扩散模型进行了比较，该模型将北海的局部流体动力学与唯一的幼虫行为相结合。每年预测和观察到的沉降部分匹配，但模型估计了更长的远洋阶段。观察结果与建模的平均值 (1995-2015) 分布曲线拟合得更好。2016 年 3 月在英国海岸沿线采样的小型幼鱼的异常结果导致假设冬季日龄轮沉积中断，这可能与饥饿和食物供应减少有关。