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Biological Characteristics, Population Dynamics and Fisheries Management of Pomadasys commersonnii (Lacepède, 1802) in the Arabian Sea Coast of Oman

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The Arabian Seas: Biodiversity, Environmental Challenges and Conservation Measures

Abstract

This study investigates the biology and stock characteristics of the small spotted grunt Pomadasys commersonnii (Lacepède, 1801) in the waters of the Arabian Sea of Oman during 2005 and 2008 and provides management advice for the fishery.

Fish size (FL) ranged between 33 and 78 cm with an average size of 61.4 cm FL. The length-weight relationships for males and females were TW = 0.052(FL) 2.66 for males and TW = 0.055(FL) 2.65, respectively. A combined growth curve for both sexes provided VBG parameters of L∞ = 77.2 cm, K = 0.232 y−1 and t0 = −0.058 y. Maximum age was 14 years, but 5–9-year-old fish comprised the majority of the catch. Lengths at first maturity for males and females were 38.2 cm FL and 40.6 cm FL, respectively, early in the fourth year for both sexes. GSI peaked during June to December, indicating that spawning occurred during SW and NE monsoon seasons. Female fecundity ranged from 0.21 to 1.42 million eggs. For both sexes, most food items were either semi-digested unidentifiable material (50%) or fish, especially sardines (36%).

The estimated annual instantaneous rates of total (Z), natural (M) and fishing (F) mortality (sexes combined) were 0.601, 0.496 and 0.105 y−1, respectively. The average annual yield of P. commersonnii for the study period was 680 tonnes, while MSY, average standing stock and total stock sizes were estimated as 1943, 9158 and 10,885 t, respectively. SB/R was 48.2–47.5% of total biomass for male and female, respectively, at the current rate of fishing mortality.

The length at first capture (58 cm) and exploitation rate (0.175) indicate that there is scope for a marginal increase in effort for optimum exploitation of the stock with a long-term management recommendation to implement a closure area in Masirah Island Bay.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    1 O.R. = 2.58 US dollars.

Abbreviations

ANCOVA:

Analysis of covariance

K :

The growth coefficient

L ∞ :

The asymptotic length

L 50 :

Length at first maturity

L c :

Length at first capture

L opt :

Length of optimum capture

F curr :

Current fishing mortality

FL:

Fork length

F max :

Maximum fishing mortality

GSI:

Gonadosomatic index

MAFW:

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth

MIA:

Marginal increment analysis

MSY:

Maximum sustainable yield

NE:

Northeast monsoon

NIWA:

New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

SB/R:

Spawner biomass per recruit

SW:

Southwest monsoon

t:

Tons

TL:

Total length

TW:

Total weight

VBG:

von Bertalanffy growth

Y/R:

Yield per recruit

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Acknowledgements

In the name of the God ‘Allah’, I would like to express my deep appreciation to many wonderful people for their support, guidance and encouragement during my studies at Bangor University, in the UK.

Firstly, a big thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Ian McCarthy, for his great efforts, helpful advice and valuable comments during my studies. I also wish to thank the librarian Adeilad Deiniol for helping me to access the relevant materials for my MSc research.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Saud Al-Habsi, Director General of Fisheries Research, and Dr. Hamed Al-Oufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth, in Oman, for giving me the opportunity to study my Master’s degree. I extend my thanks to my government sponsor, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth, for the financial support.

I would also like to thank the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre (MSFC) and the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) for providing me with the raw data for this study. I extend my thanks to all my colleagues at MSFC for their great efforts of collecting data during the periods of the project. Special thanks must also go to Professor Jayabalan Nachiappan for his valuable advice.

Most importantly, I would like to thank my mother, my wife and my family for their encouragement and support during my studies.

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  1. Marine Science and Fisheries Centre Ministry of Agriculture wealth, Fisheries and water resources, Muscat, Oman

    Abdullah AL-Nahdi

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  1. Abdullah AL-Nahdi
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  1. Auckland, New Zealand

    Laith A. Jawad

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AL-Nahdi, A. (2021). Biological Characteristics, Population Dynamics and Fisheries Management of Pomadasys commersonnii (Lacepède, 1802) in the Arabian Sea Coast of Oman. In: Jawad, L.A. (eds) The Arabian Seas: Biodiversity, Environmental Challenges and Conservation Measures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51506-5_34

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