F. Sahar MEHANNA, A. Al-MARZOUQI, Badria El-SIABI

Stock characteristics and Population Dynamics of the Spiny Cheek Grouper Epinephelus diacanthus (Valenciennes, 1828) from the Arabian Sea, Oman

Based on samples of Epinephelus diacanthus (Family: Serranidae; subfamily: Epinephelinae) collected from the Omani coast of the Arabian Sea, age and growth, mortality and exploitation rates and yield per recruit were studied. A total of 703 fish with total lengths ranging from 16.1 to 55.6 cm were used. Age determination was carried out by examining the growth increment on both the whole otoliths and the sectioned ones. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters, the instantaneous annual rates of total, natural and fishing mortalities, length at first capture and the exploitation rate were estimated. Based on these data, a yield and biomass model was applied. The results indicated that the stock of E. diacanthus in the Arabian Sea is overexploited and current management measures must be revised to sustain and optimize its yields.

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