Growth, mortality and exploitation status of the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson in Saudi Arabian Gulf waters

Length and weight data of 5331 individuals’ Spanish mackerel were collected belonging to the landing site Jubail port of Saudi waters, west of the Arabian Gulf from October 2013 to September 2017 to estimate growth, mortality parameters, and exploitation rate using FiSAT program. According to the findings, the mean Von Bertalanffy growth characteristics were K = 0.24, L_∞ =156 cm, t₀ = -0.352 and ǿ = 3.76. Total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M), and fishing mortality (F) had respective means of 1.40, 0.43, and 0.97. The mean exploitation rate was found to be 0.69, which is higher than the 0.5 optimum value for sustainable fisheries. Mean longevity (T_max) was determined using the formula 3/K = 12 years. F_opt = 0.215 and F_limit = 0.286 were the mean target and limit biological reference values. Mean sizes at capture were 91.28 cm, 101.3 cm, and 111.32 cm, respectively, with probabilities of 0.25 (L25), 0.5 (L50), and 0.75 (L75). The present investigation indicated that the S. commersonis overexploited in this area, necessitating an immediate reduction in fishing pressure in order to achieve a durable fishery. In conclusion, for such economically significant species, more extensive research is recommended.