Knowledge of the reproductive cycle in exploited species is important for a sustainable management of fisheries. Standardized scales to assess maturity stages are a fundamental tool to understand the demographic composition of exploited populations. Staging scales for female Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, have been subject to a series of changes, and multiple inconsistent scales are in use in different fisheries regions. A unified, evidence-based scale has not previously been established. We reviewed previous staging scales for the female ovary maturation and propose a revised scale based on the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic ovary characteristics. To provide better-informed tools for future stock assessment, female stages were characterized through external observation on ovary color and size, and the progress of vitellogenesis. This study clarifies several biological phases that were conflated in previous scales. First, we demonstrate how to distinguish between immature ovaries in juvenile females versus the earliest ovary maturation stage in adults. Second, the new scale differentiates between "mottled" ovaries seen in two separate biological stages: the spent ovaries that undergo partial resorption in berried females, versus ovaries of females which failed to spawn and undergo full resorption. To ensure consistent application, colors are assessed relative to international standards (RAL/Pantone). This new, practical staging scheme clarifies the correlation between microscopic characteristics and macroscopically observable details in ovary maturation. Adoption of this unified staging scale will improve maturity analyses, help to identify stocks with potentially reduced reproductive capacity, and facilitate broad-scale comparisons. K E Y W O R D Scolor assessment, female reproductive cycle, oogenesis, ovary maturation, resorption

Essential fish habitats (EFHs) are critical for fish life‐history events, including spawning, breeding, feeding or growth. This study provides evidence of EFHs for the critically endangered flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) in the waters around the Orkney Isles, Scotland, based on citizen‐science observation data. The habitats of potential egg‐laying sites were parametrised as >20 m depth, with boulders or exposed bedrock, in moderate current flow (0.3–2.8 knots) with low sedimentation. This information provides a significant contribution to the understanding of EFHs for flapper skate.

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The European native oyster, Ostrea edulis, has been in severe decline since the early 1900s across Europe with many fisheries now declared commercially extinct. In light of this broad scale population decline, the UK has listed O. edulis as a threatened species, requiring conservation action under the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). In addition to this designation, in Scotland O. edulis beds is a search feature (SF) and a priority marine feature (PMF) for MPA site selection. These sites are also listed as a feature of conservation importance and included on the OSPAR list of threatened/declining species and habitats. Recent studies have identified O. edulis populations with heavily male‐skewed sex ratios, which may have contributed to fisheries decline due to reduced levels of fertilization. This species is a protandrous alternating hermaphrodite and individuals may change sex in response to local conditions. This study aimed to assess how sex ratios vary temporally and if this is correlated with temperature, by studying two exploited populations in Loch Ryan, Scotland and Chichester Harbour, England. This study suggests that the proportion of male phase oysters is positively correlated with water temperature and that the study population in cooler waters had a more balanced sex ratio overall (the Loch Ryan population was significantly similar to 1:1 for 10 of 13 months, whereas in Chichester only 1 of the 7 months was significantly similar). This study provides evidence to suggest that a critical temperature threshold for sex determination exists in O. edulis and for the Loch Ryan population we suggest that this is 16.5°C. However, further work is required to assess how this threshold may change between sites and how future climate change scenarios might affect the sex ratio of native oyster populations.

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