Year class strength is an important determinant of fish population size, but the drivers are often unknown. The northern stock of European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) is an important target species for both commercial and recreational fisheries. Scientific assessments showed a rapid decline in spawning stock biomass from 2010-18 attributed to a combination of fishing mortality and poor year class strength. Recruitment to...

Saltmarsh provides essential fish feeding and nursery habitat but has globally declined by 50%. We used a statistical block design to compare fish feeding activity within human‐engineered or “re‐aligned” saltmarsh to established saltmarsh. Linear and multivariate modelling highlighted that Thinlip Mullet ( Chelon ramada ) and European Bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) feeding rates were 16% and 31% lower within re‐aligned than est...

The sea bass stock around the UK (northern stock) has declined rapidly over the past decade, likely due to a combination of both overfishing and low recruitment. Understanding mechanisms that drive the number of young reaching nursery grounds is important for explaining observed recruitment variability and therefore developing effective management strategies. An individual-based model (IBM) has been developed here to investiga...