Steves et al : Settlement and nursery habitats for demersal fishes 



173 



time of settlement on the shelf (Fig. 2). Although 

 many species settled between August and October, 

 Macrozoarces americanus and Gadus morhua set- 

 tled, and Raja erinacea hatched, on the shelf start- 

 ing in midwinter. 



Juvenile fish were colleced at all 21 stations sam- 

 pled. Mean depths of all species of age-0 fish, weighted 

 by abundance, are shown in Figure 3. Although the 

 depth distributions cover the entire depth range of the 

 surveyed shelf, for convenience of discussion we sepa- 

 rate species into three depth groups (inner, middle, 

 and outer shelf; Table 5). Inner shelf species included 

 two flounders (Etropus microstomus and Paralich- 

 thys oblongus), searobin (Prionotus carolinus), and 

 fourbeard rockling (Enchelyopus cimbrius). Little 

 skate (Raja erinacea) was collected on the inner 

 shelf at sizes near to hatching size. Midshelf set- 

 tlers were dominated by Plcuronectes ferrugineus 

 but also included large numbers of inquiline snail- 

 fish (Liparis inquilinus) and phycid hakes (Urophy- 

 cis spp.). The dominant fish that settled on the outer 

 shelf were silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis). Gulf 



Stream Rounder (Citharichthys arctifrons), margined 

 snake eel (Ophichthus cruentifer), fawn cusk eel 

 (Lepophidium profundorum), and black-bellied rose 

 fish (Helicolenus dactylopterus). 



Generally, distributions along depth (Fig. 3A) 

 and salinity (Fig. 3B) gradients showed similar but 

 inverse trends; this finding was expected because of 

 high correlation between bottom depth and bottom 

 salinity. Weighted average distributions with respect 

 to bottom temperature (Fig. 3C) did not show similar 

 trends; seasonal variation in temperature and the 

 presence of minimum temperatures midshelf during 

 the summer precludes temperature and depth trends 

 from being similar. Midshelf species such as P. fer- 

 rugineus and Liparis inquilinus, which settle in 

 summer, had the coldest mean temperatures of col- 

 lection. Outer-shelf species found in slope water had 

 slightly warmer preferences, and those of inner-shelf 

 species were even warmer. 



Individual year classes were distinct, based on 

 length frequencies for the more abundant species 

 (Fig. 4-6). For several species (e.g. P. ferrugineus and 



