Spatial and temporal variation in age and growth in juvenile Loligo forbesi and relationships with recruitment in the English Channel and Scottish waters

In many cephalopod stocks, resource abundance and fishing yields depend on the recruitment of the annual cohort. Loliginid squids such as Loligo forbesi are present in the English Channel and in Scottish waters. Variation in age and growth in juvenile Loligo forbesi of these two areas was investigated at the spatial and temporal scale, and inter-annual differences in growth were related to recruitment variation to test density dependence in squid growth in both populations. Spatial and temporal differences in growth were analysed in five cohorts that showed marked differences in recruitment abundance. Biological sampling showed that recruitment occurred in late autumn and spring in Scottish waters and in summer in the English Channel. In both fishing seasons, monthly samples collected at fish markets were analysed and ages of juveniles (mantle length