NAFC Marine Centre fisheries scientist, Paul Macdonald, recently returned from the 8th International Flatfish Symposium in Ijmuiden, Netherlands, where he joined other scientists who were gathered to share knowledge of the biology and ecology of commercially important flatfish. 

The Centre contributed to the tri-annual event through Paul’s presentation on ‘Spatial variation in life history characteristics of megrim on the Northern Shelf’ where he compared life history dynamics between the northern North Sea and Rockall. 

Paul Macdonald commented: “The 8th Symposium was focused on the theme of ‘Connectivity’ and I presented some of the findings from my ongoing PhD study into megrim biology and ecology. The presentation focused on the differences in life history characteristics such as spawning season and growth rates evident between the northern North Sea and other areas of the species’ distribution such as Rockall. 

“The wider PhD research project is aimed at filling some of the knowledge gaps that currently prevent an analytical assessment of megrim stocks on the Northern Shelf.  My hope is that the results of my three-year study, once completed, will assist in the effective management of the stock, enabling fishermen to harvest in a sustainable way.

“I found the event extremely valuable and it was a good opportunity to network with other flatfish researchers.  It was a real eye opener to see how advanced research on other flatfish species such as plaice and sole in the southern North Sea is, compared to megrim in the northern North Sea where we are only at the stage of gathering basic life history information. It was also interesting to note that, following my presentation, a number of delegates commented on how surprised they were that so little was known on a species with such high commercial importance.

“It clearly demonstrates that there is still a great deal to be done to better understand megrim population dynamics, but hopefully the work I am doing through this study will open up potential future research opportunities to continue to build on the good work we have begun here.”

Further information:
For further information, please contact: Paul Macdonald, NAFC Marine Centre, tel 01595 772000, email paul.macdonald@nafc.uhi.ac.uk or visit www.nafc.ac.uk

Or, Louise Rosie, Shaw Marketing and Design Ltd, tel 01595 692465, email louise.rosie@shaw-online.com or visit www.shaw-online.com