Catch per unit area of Batoid fishes in the Northern Oman Sea

Abstract

We report on results of a trawl survey to assess the abundance of Batoid fish resources in the Oman Sea. The catch per unit area CPUA as the main index was estimated. The objectives of this study were to determine the catch composition and distribution pattern of Batoid fishes in the study area and in different depth strata of the Oman Sea.A total of 82stations were randomly selected 2012. The comparison between 5 strata indicated that, the highest CPUA was found for strata E, Beris to Gowatr (2712.56 kg / nm2) and C, Gordim to Konarak (2079.17 kg / nm2) and the lowest one was found in stratum B, Darak to Tang (27.11 kg / nm2). Also the comparison of mean CPUA in different depth-layers revealed that the mean CPUA has a descending trend with increasing of depth, in which the CPUA values in depth layer 10-20 m were 101.38 times more than depth layer 50-100m.