Occurrence of juveniles Luvarus imperialis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Luvaridae) in the Strait of Sicily

Two juveniles Luvarus imperialis, astrodermella stage, 97.4 mm and 90.6 mm in total length, were recorded on September 2016 and August 2017 respectively, the first caught by a bottom trawler off the south-eastern coast of Sicily, Strait of Sicily, Italy, the second found stranded on the beach in the nearby region. Biometrics data of this uncommon species are given and the occurrence of juvenile stages in the Mediterranean area is briefly discussed.

First Record of Pseudotolithus senegallus (Cuvier, 1830) in the Mediterranean Sea

This article firstly records Pseudotolithus senegallus (Cuvier, 1830) species in the Mediterranean Sea. juvenile specimen of Pseudotolithus senegallus (Cuvier, 1830) with total length 15.5 cm and total weight 37 g, was obtained by experimental bottom trawling using commercial bottom trawler (stretched mesh size: 15 mm; duration time: four hours; location: east of Suez Canal main stream in the Mediterranean, off Port Said). Opercle lining jet black, showing through a dark blotch externally. Axils of pectoral-fin base dark, distal portion of caudal fin darkish whereas anal and pelvic fins are yellowish. Gas bladder with a pair of arborescent appendages, dividing into short anterior branches and a dozen or so long tubular posterior appendages along sides of bladder beyond its tip. I suggest the method of introduction to the Mediterranean waters is ballast water of ships as it is recorded only from Mauritania to Angola on the western coast of Africa.

Using AIS to Attempt a Quantitative Evaluation of Unobserved Trawling Activity in the Mediterranean Sea

In the past decades, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) has been employed in numerous research fields as a valuable tool for, among other things, Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Spatial Planning. In contrast, its use in fisheries management is hampered by coverage and transmission gaps. Transmission gaps may be due to technical limitations (e.g., weak signal or interference with other signals) or to deliberate switching off of the system, to conceal fishing activities. In either case such gaps may result in underestimating fishing effort and pressure. This study was undertaken to map and analyze bottom trawler transmission gaps in terms of duration and distance from the harbor with a view to quantifying unobserved fishing and its effects on overall trawling pressure. Here we present the first map of bottom trawler AIS transmission gaps in the Mediterranean Sea and a revised estimate of fishing effort if some gaps are considered as actual fishing.

Estimation of CPUE and CPUA of three caught fish by bottom trawler in the Motaf fishing grounds, Bushehr Province, Persian Gulf, Iran

Seyed Hosseini SM, Paighambari SY, Pouladi M, Shabani MJ. 2018. Estimation of CPUE and CPUA of three caught fish bybottom trawler in the Motaf fishing grounds, Bushehr Province, Persian Gulf, Iran. Biodiversitas 19: 1434-1440. This study wasconducted to estimate catch per unit effort (CPUE) and catch per unit area (CPUA) of Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis Forsskål, 1775),Bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch, 1793), and Sulphur goatfish (Upeneus sulphureus (Cuvier, 1829). Sampling operationswere done by a stern trawler in the Motaf fishing grounds located in the Persian Gulf during summer 2016. Overall, 36 hauls were donein two depths of 50-60 m and 60-70 m. In this research, the highest length frequencies of C. ignobilis, S. crumenophthalmus, and U.sulphureus were in the length classes of 56.5-61.5, 22-23.5 and 14-15.5 cm, respectively. The results of CPUE for C. ignobilis, S.crumenophthalmus, and U. sulphureus were 3, 0.159 and 0.078 kg h-1, while the results of CPUA were 45.03, 2.44 and 1.91 kg km-2,respectively. Also, CPUE values for mature and immature forms of C. ignobilis were 5.05 and 0.65 kg h-1, for S. crumenophthalmuswere 0.2 and 0.07 kg h-1, and for U. sulphureus were 0.13 and 0.04 kg h-1, and CPUA values for C. ignobilis were 22.51 and 5.02 kg km-1, for S. crumenophthalmus were 22.03 and 10.95 kg km-1, and for U. sulphureus were 27.4 and 12.77 kg km-1 at the depths of 50-60 mand 60-70 m, respectively. Finally, it was concluded that effective fishing of C. ignobilis and U. sulphureus is affordable at depths above60-70 m, and it was not different for S. crumenophthalmus at fishing depths.

Spread of the arrow bulleye Priacanthus sagittarius Starnes, 1988 in the Mediterranean Sea

Habitat of the family Priacanthidae is tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. The features of the family members are generally very big eyes, deep bodies, upturned mouth, and generally reddish color. In the this paper, we report the presence of an arrow bulleye P. sagittarius in coast of Turkey waters in the Mediterranean Sea. On the 27th December, 2017, a single specimen of P. sagittarius was collected by Mr. Hüseyin Çınar, captain of the commercial bottom trawler Furkan Reis vessel, off the Taşucu, Mersin (36°07'2.82"N 33°51'6.42"E) Turkey coasts. The specimen of P. sagittarius was collected at a depth of approximatetly 100 m by a bottom trawl net; the mesh size of 22mm. The collected specimen of arrow bulleye P. sagittarius was 255 mm total length (TL) and 307 g total weight (TW). The finding of the present study is the first record of specimen along shores of the Mediterranean of Turkey. This record suggests that this species is spread towards to west along in the Mediterranean.

A first record of the Bentfin Devil Ray Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908) (Myliobatiformes: Mobulidae) from the Indian EEZ of the Andaman Sea

This manuscript deals with the Bent-fin Devil Ray Mobula thurstoni for its first time occurrence in the Andaman & Nicobar waters around the Indian EEZ which is a new locality record confirming the range extension of the species to the southeast of Bay of Bengal (the Andaman Sea). A female specimen of 318mm disc length and weighing 2.47Kg was caught by a multiday bottom trawler operated off North Bay and was landed at Junglighat fishing harbour, South Andaman. A detailed diagnostic description and morphometric measurements of M. thurstoni is provided. For the first time this species has been described from Indian waters and compared with the other related species, and so documenting its first occurrence in the Andaman & Nicobar waters.

Sources of bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles in the western Mediterranean other than drifting longlines

Álvarez de Quevedo, I., Cardona, L., De Haro, A., Pubill, E., and Aguilar, A. 2010. Sources of bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles in the western Mediterranean other than drifting longlines. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 677–685. A survey, including questionnaires to fishers and observers on board fishing vessels, was conducted to assess turtle bycatch in the waters off Catalonia (northeastern Spain), a region inhabited mainly by loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from the highly endangered eastern Mediterranean rookeries. Observer reports confirmed that the data produced by the interviewees were reliable, so interview results were used to estimate turtle bycatch. The number of turtles caught monthly per vessel was estimated at 0.01 for bottom longlines, 0.02 for trammelnets, 0.07 for bottom trawling, and 1.2 for drifting longlines. From these values, 481 (95% CI: 472–491) turtles were estimated to be taken annually as bycatch by the whole fleet. Bottom trawling and trammelnets were the most widely used fishing gears (33 and 31% of the total 11 237 fishing months), but most turtles were caught either by bottom trawlers (249; 95% CI 83–415) or by drifting longlines (124; 95% CI: 40–199). Ivlev's electivity index revealed that bottom trawler bycatch was higher than expected in areas with a wide continental shelf. Given the heavy turtle mortality associated with bottom trawling and the fact that, in southern Catalonia, the fleet mainly takes turtles from western Mediterranean rookeries, it is suggested that the fishery be regulated through winter fishing restrictions, reducing the number of bottom trawlers working in the area, reducing the time the net is in the water to prevent turtle suffocation, or being obliged to use turtle excluder devices.

Merluccius hubbsi (Teleostei: Merlucciidae): stock identification based on reproductive biology in the south-southeast brazilian region

The Argentine hake, Merluccius hubbsi, a demersal-pelagic species found from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, has become an important target of the Brazilian bottom-trawler fleet since 2001. Earlier studies focusing on the species have suggested that more than one stock might occur off the Brazilian coast, in accordance with environmental features. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, fish were collected from four different areas in the Brazilian waters in which the hake is distributed, during the summers and winters of 1996-2001 and 2004, the females being used to analyze and compare spatial-temporal variations in ovarian maturation. Gonad indexes were also applied for the same purpose. Results indicate a north-south spawning gradient occurring as from summer at around 21°S to winter near 34°S, leading to the identification of two distinct stocks: one located between 21°S and 29°S (Southeastern stock) and the other between 29°S and 34°S (Southern stock), this latter shared with Uruguay and Argentina. Brazilian stocks present clear signs of overexploitation, the situation calling for an urgent solution.