A Seasonal Comparison of Population Parameters for Mullus barbatus L., 1758 from Trawl and Small-Scale Fishing Sites from Southern Türkiye (Northeastern Mediterranean)

KEBAPÇIOĞLU T.

Thalassas, cilt.41, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 41 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s41208-024-00768-1
  • Dergi Adı: Thalassas
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, DIALNET
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Abundance, Bottom trawl, Gulf of Antalya, Red mullet, Small-scale fisheries
  • Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study examines the abundance, biomass and total length (TL) of Mullus barbatus from small-scale and industrial (trawl) fishing sites from the Gulf of Antalya using bottom trawl hauls over a one year period. 116 hauls were sampled between 25 and 200 m in depth. The overall mean abundance and biomass were 8361.03 individual/km2 and 299.75 kg/km2, respectively. The maximum TL was 25.7 cm, the minimum TL was 6 cm, and mean TL was 13.59 cm. The abundances and biomass of Mullus barbatus from small-scale fishing sites were higher than the bottom trawling sites, which may likely be due to higher fishing pressure. The highest abundance and biomass were found at 50 m depth, decreasing with increasing depth, and the lowest values were found in summer, then increased through autumn and winter. The highest percentage of the smallest size class of fish (6.0–8.4 cm) was found in summer and the highest percentage of the largest size class (21.0–25.9 cm) of fish were found in winter. The mean total length of 14.3 cm for Mullus barbatus in small-scale fishing sites, whereas in trawl sites, it decreased to 12.1 cm. From these findings, we advise that Mullus barbatus should be caught with small-scale fishing gear types such as gillnets and trammel nets, which are better for the stock’s health.