S. Ahmed et al., A. (2021). Fisheries status of Octopus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 25(4), 655-668. doi: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.193748
Ayman S. Ahmed et al.. "Fisheries status of Octopus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt". Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 25, 4, 2021, 655-668. doi: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.193748
S. Ahmed et al., A. (2021). 'Fisheries status of Octopus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt', Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 25(4), pp. 655-668. doi: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.193748
S. Ahmed et al., A. Fisheries status of Octopus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 2021; 25(4): 655-668. doi: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.193748
Fisheries status of Octopus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt
During the last years, the price of Octopuses in the national and international markets increased spectacularly. Due to the high demand and the attractive selling price of Octopus, most fishermen increased the fishing efforts exerted on Octopus. This study throws light on the fisheries status and species composition of Octopuses in the Gulf of Suez. A number of 2759 individuals were collected by trawling vessels from September 2017 to April 2018, and the fishing effort was represented by the number of landings.
The present results showed that the trawling fishing effort fluctuated greatly from one season to another between a minimum value of 1118 landings during the fishing season 2012/2013 and a maximum value of 1852 landings during 2019/2020 with an average value of 1592 landings throughout the last eight years. The species composition of Octopus caught from the Gulf of Suez comprised four species; Amphioctopus aegina, Amphioctopus membranaceus, Octopus cyanea and Macrotritopus defilippi. A. aegina and A. membranaceus were by far the most abundant among Octopus catch in the Gulf of Suez, constituting more than 91% of the catch. This information would help in the Gulf of Suez management purpose to maintain the stock of this valuable resource.