Determination of CPUA and distribution pattern of families Haemulidae, Nemipteridae and Ariidae in the Oman Sea

Abstract

This trawl survey was carried out during 2013 for the stock assessment of families Haemulids, Nemipterids and Ariids in the Oman Sea. Sampling was carried out at five different stratum and depths. The highest value of CPUA of Haemulidae was estimated for Pomadasys stridens in “B" stratum (885.78 kg nm-2), for Pomadasys kaakan at depths of 10-20 m (330.35 kg nm-2), and for Nemipteridae it was estimated for Nemipterus japonicus in “D" stratum (1042.31 kg nm-2) at 30-50 m depths (1734.97 kg nm-2), and for Ariidae, it was estimated for Netuma thalassina in the stratum B (752.64 kg nm-2) at 20-30 m depths (428.33 kg nm-2). The highest biomass for Haemulidae was estimated in stratum B (320.53 ton) at 50-100 m depths (282.98 tons), and for Nemipteridae in “D" stratum (559.72 tons) and at depths of 30-50 m (604.04 tons), and for Ariidae it was estimated in “B" stratum (272.35 tons) and at 50-100 m depths (255.12 ton). Based on the results obtained, the highest species diversity for Haemulids was in “A" stratum at depths less than 50 m, while for Nemipterids it was similar in the total study area and different depth layers. Highest species diversity for Ariids were found in “A" and “D" strata at depth layers of 10-20 m and 30-50 m, respectively. In light of the fact that fishing efforts decreased during these years, our results illustrate that CPUA and biomass have ascending trends which indicate the relative stability of the stocks of these families.