Catch composition and catch per unit effort of caught small-pelagic fish (Sardines and Anchovy) by double-boat purse seiners in Hormozgan (The case of Qeshm Island)

Abstract

The present study was carried out in the fishing grounds of small pelagic fish on Qeshm Island (namely Ramcha, Souza, Messen, and Salakh) from September 2022 to June 2023. Field sampling was performed by double-boat purse seiners and conducting 57 netting. The length, height, and mesh size of purse seines were 300 m, 50 m, and 10 mm (STR). Data of date, time of setting, location, and weight of target species and bycatch were recorded for each setting net. The mean CPUE (±95% CI) of small pelagic fish was overally obtained at 991.23 ± 157.14 kg per set. This was 1300 ± 364.01 for Salakh, 1246.88 ± 295 for Ramchah, 669.23 ± 214.20 for Messen, and 587.5 ± 155.71 for Souza, which there was a significant difference between Salakh and Ramcha compared to Souza and Messen (P<0.01). Also, the mean CPUE (±95% CI) of target catch for warm and temperate seasons were 1227.42 ± 224.11 and 709.62 ± 174.20 kg per setting net, which was significantly differ (P<0.01). The maximum and minimum of occurrence percentages were attributed to anchovy (with 100%) and Trichiurus lepturus (with 1.75%). The highest and lowest of mean CPUE (±95% CI) for bycatch species/groups, were related to the Trichiurus lepturus (1.75 ± 3.51) and Dasyatidae (0.07 ± 0.10) kg per setting. Given that fishing efforts have increased in recent years in the region, the estimated values of CPUE for target catch were smaller than in previous studies. Therefore, the fisheries managers must take immediate action to optimize the ongoing fishing effort.

Keywords

• small-scale fisheries
• double-boat purse seine
• fishing effort
• qeshm island
• persian gulf