The fish fauna of the Dutch coastal zone is discussed in relation to their use of the area. Four different functional groups are distinguished: (1) resident species, (2) non-spawning species, (3) nursery-type species and (4) seasonal visitors. For resident species, demersal eggs are an essential feature to be able to complete its whole life cycle in the coastal zone. Reproduction appears to be able to be the limiting factor implying that there will be no food limitation among these species. For non-spawning species, it is speculated that especially estuaries are important, because of the 'trapping effect' of larvae by the tidal currents. As a consequence, in general highest densities of non-spawning species and nursery-type species are expected inside estuaries. As a consequence, for both groups also no food limitation is expected. For seasonal visitors, no relationships with habitat characteristics in the coastal zone and estuaries are assumed. Hereafter, the fish fauna will be characterized and based on this, the key factors in relation to the life cycle of the various functional groups will be analysed. Finally, hypotheses for testing the suggested habitat requirements for the different functional groups will be presented. For all groups, relations are expected between their abundance and the distributions of their main food items.
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