Fishing gears, catch composition and length at first capture of the common fish species in Bardawil lagoon, Egypt

F. Mehanna, Sahar; M.S. Eid, Abdel Hamid; A. Ali, Badiaa; S. Aabed, Mohammed

doi:10.21608/ejabf.2020.108593

Fishing gears, catch composition and length at first capture of the common fish species in Bardawil lagoon, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.21608/ejabf.2020.108593

Abstract

Bardawil Lagoon is one of the northern lakes in Egypt and it is a part of the Mediterranean coastal lands of Sinai. It plays an essential role in fish production in Egypt, where it produces very economically important fish species such as seabass, seabream, sole, grey mullet, and white grouper. Bardawil lagoon is the least polluted wetland in Egypt and represents one of the least polluted in the entire Mediterranean region with an average area of about 650 Km² and employing up to 3,000 fishermen. The fishery in Bardawil lagoon is seasonal generally from early April to the end of December. This measure was taken to protect the seabream and seabass leaving the lagoon for the spawning migration. In Bardawil lagoon, total annual commercial landings varied between 2226 and 5410 tons during the last 20 years (Annual statistical report 2018). In 2018, only 2610 tons were landed corresponded to a value of almost 130 million LE. A number of fishing methods are used in the lagoon including Dabba or trammel nets, El-Bouss or veranda, Kalsa or trawl nets and Lines or sinner. The present work investigated the fishing methods used in Bardawil lagoon, its characteristics, the catch composition, catch trend, and the length at first capture of the most common fish species in the lagoon.

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