Relationship between sediment character and sex segregation in English sole, Parophrys vetulus

English sole, Parophrys vetulus , were collected by otter trawl in the nearshore zone of Puget Sound, Washington, during two surveys conducted in 1981-82 and 1984. Stations in both surveys were distributed across a broad range of sedimentary environments. Sex segregation by English sole was strongly associated with the grain-size characteristics of bottom sediments. This association was persistent across a variety of sampling conditions, including different years, seasons, embayments, and depths. Fish age did not appear to influence the observed association. Results of this study provide the first documentation of the influence of sediment character on sex segregation by a pleuronectid, and suggest that this relationship should be considered in future studies of English sole and, perhaps, other pleuronectids as well.