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Home , Pomatoschistus, Ponticola, Ponticola gorlap, Sand goby

diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of in Salmanshahr, coastal area of the southern

Item Type article

Authors Kalantarian, S.M.; Abdoli, A.; Kiabi, B.H.

Download date 24/09/2021 20:22:21

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/37828 Iranian Journal of Sciences 16(2) 549-556 2017

Species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae in Salmanshahr, coastal area of the southern Caspian Sea

Kalantarian S.M.1*; Abdoli A.2; Kiabi B.H.1

Received: August 2015 Accepted: October 2016

Abstract The gobies are non-commercial in the Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea for which population dynamics and stock status are poorly known. In this survey, we tried to define species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae by using beach seine nets in Salmanshahr, the southern Caspian Sea. From March 2011 to April 2012, 224 specimens representing 4 gobiid species, belonging to and , were caught. The deepwater Goby, Ponticola bathybius (Kessler, 1877), was the most abundant species with 92.8% frequency. The highest catch per unit effort of gobiid fishes was obtained in spring. The species diversity was highest in spring according to Shannon’s index.

Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 Keywords: Gobiid fishes, CPUE, Species diversity, Salmanshahr, Caspian Sea

1-Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, G, C, Tehran, Iran 2-Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G, C, Tehran, Iran *Corresponding author’s Email: [email protected] 550 Kalantarian et al., Species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae in Salmanshahr, …

Introduction The purpose of the present research The family Gobiidae is a very large was to determine species diversity and family of about 210 genera and to assess the catch rates of gobiid estimated 2000 species, distributed species caught by beach seining in the worldwide, and found mostly in tropical south central Caspian Sea. Moreover, coastal waters (Coad, 2007; Kottelat we tended to shed more light on details and Freyhof, 2007). Of this family, 13 of stock status of this family in new species were indicated in the conditions of this habitat. The ichthyofauna of the Southern Caspian abundance of gobiid species may be Sea (Kiabi et al., 1999; Abdoli and significantly affected by the decreasing Naderi, 2008). The genus Neogobius, abundance of some species in recent belonging to Gobiidae, is native to the years, such as acipenserids as their main Ponto-Caspian region where there are predators and Clupeonella as a prey about 14 species (Coad, 2007). item (Fazli et al., 2007; Abdoli and Ponticola is another genus of this Naderi, 2008). The lack of surveys on family that contains 13 species in the ecological characteristics of the gobies Black and Caspian Sea basins (Freyhof during the last decade emphasizes the and Brooke, 2011) with 4 species in seriousness of new studies. Iranian waters (Coad, 2007). The deepwater Goby, Ponticola bathybius Materials and methods (Kessler, 1877) is a marine species of The gobies were collected as by-catch the gobies endemic to the Caspian Sea. of beach seine in Salmanshahr It inhabits sandy and shelly bottoms (36°42’N, 51°11’E). Sampling was and, in smaller numbers, firm silt down conducted between March 2011 to to 75 m (Miller, 2003). April 2011 and October 2011 to April Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 Because the gobiid fishes are not 2012 using a 1000 m long beach seine economically important in Iran, very (mesh size 33 mm). Species were limited information exists on stock identified, enumerated, and recorded status and ecological characteristics of separately for each seine haul. Water their species. The gobies, however, play temperature at the fishing site was a crucial role in the Caspian Sea recorded on each sampling day using a ecosystem as food resources and mercury thermometer. Linear competitors for many commercially regression analysis was fit to the important species. Ghelichi (1999) relationship between water temperature showed that in the Myankaleh coastal and catch per unit effort data. The waters, the Bighead Goby, Ponticola specimens were fixed and preserved in gorlap, was the most abundant species 10% formaldehyde during transport to caught using beach seine nets and the the laboratory. In the laboratory, the catch per unit effort of gobiid fishes total length (TL to the nearest mm), was highest in spring. body weight (W, to the nearest 0.1 g), Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 16(2) 2017 551

and sex of each specimen were Results recorded (Table 1). For species A total of 224 gobies representing 4 identification, the number of first dorsal species and 2 genera were collected fin rays, head sensory papillae patterns from Salmanshahr beach. During the and were used. To determine sampling period, by-catches were the age of specimens, otoliths were dominated by the deepwater Goby, extracted, cleaned, polished, and Ponticola bathybius. It was the most clarified in glycerine. These structures abundant species constituting 92.8% of were viewed under a stereo microscope the total catch of the gobies. Neogobius and their images were taken with fluviatilis (Pallas, 1814), Neogobius camera and Dino capture software for caspius (Eichwald, 1831), and counting the annual rings. Catch per (Gunther, 1861) were unit effort (CPUE) was calculated as captured infrequently (Table 1). The total weight in kg or number of the target species for beach seining in gobies captured per seine haul. To Salmanshahr were Rutilus kutum, Lisa compare the catch rate of Gobiidae with sp, Alosa sp., Cyprinus carpio, and economically important fishes seined Sander marinum. Age determination of from Salmanshahr, CPUE data of major gobiid fishes indicated that P. bathybius target species were also recorded as was classified in four age groups (5+, consistently as possible with more 6+, 7+, and 8+). The ages of gobiid accuracy. Throughout the sample species are given in Table 1. Catch per period, the target and by-catch species unit effort (CPUE) data of gobiid fishes of 10 seine hauls per month were were obtained considering 87 seine considered and one net was randomly hauls (average; 10 seine hauls per visited on each fishing day. Because month). Variation in monthly CPUE Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 beach seine fishing is banned from late indicated that catches of the gobies April to late October, we could not increased considerably in March and collect any sample in this time. To April (Fig. 1). The catch rate of these define the species diversity of gobiid fishes was very low in autumn and fishes, the Shannon index (H) was winter as in October and November the calculated in all the months of the study CPUE was zero. The highest catch per period, as described by Krebs (1998): unit effort of gobiid fishes occurred in

H = −∑ pi Ln pi April 2011. There was a significant, but

Where pi is the numerical abundance of weak positive linear relationship the ith species. H values equal or close between water temperature and gobiid to zero indicate that the species CPUE (a=2.25, r2=0.19, p= 0.01). diversity is narrow, whereas high values indicate that the species diversity is wide.

552 Kalantarian et al., Species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae in Salmanshahr, …

Table 1: Number of specimens (N), total length (TL), weight (W) with the standard deviation (S.D) and the age of gobiid species seined from Salmanshahr. Species Sex N TL (mm) W (g) Age Ponticola bathybius Male 211 242 ± 16 156 ± 48 5+ to 8+ Neogobius fluviatilis Male 2 153 ± 13 43 ± 11 2+ Neogobius caspius Male 7 152 ± 10 44 ± 20 2+, 3+ Female 1 178 76 3+ Ponticola gorlap Female 3 262 ± 5 215 ± 26 1+, 2+

4

3

2

CPUE (kg/seine haul)(kg/seineCPUE 1

0 March April October November December January February March April 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012

Sample period

25

20

15

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5 CPUE (number /seine haul)/seine(number CPUE

0

March April October November December January February March April 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012

Sample period

Figure 1: CPUE analysis of gobiid fishes in Salmanshahr, the southern Caspian Sea.

The Shannon index showed the highest was high compared with the other species diversity of the gobies seined in seasons of the sample period (Fig. 2). April 2012. Low H values in all seasons Rutilus kutum was the most abundant illustrated that the species diversity is species constituting 48.31% of the total narrow, but in spring 2012, this value catch (Table 2). Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 16(2) 2017 553

Shannon index

0.47 0.36 0.36 0.32

0.18

0 0

Figure 2: Shannon index for species diversity of the gobies in Salmanshahr, the southern Caspian Sea.

Table 2: The catch rate of fish species captured in Salmanshahr from October 2011 to April 2012. Species Gobiidae Rutilus Liza sp. Alosa Cyprinus Other Total kutum sp. carpio fishes Catch per 70 seine 16.32 4072.25 3743 547 15.2 35.25 8429 hauls (kg) Catch per seine haul 0.23 58.17 53.47 7.81 0.21 0.5 120.41 (CPUE) (kg) Species abundance %) 0.19 48.31 44.4 6.48 0.18 0.41 100

Discussion caught using beach seine nets. The The objective of the present study was other species which were observed in to provide some information on his survey were P. bathybius, population dynamics of Gobiidae, one Benthophilus stellatus, N. fluviatilis, Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 of many non-commercial fishes in Iran and Neogobius sp. The results of the about which exceedingly little is current study are consistent with the known. The results of this survey observations of Ghelichi (1999) who showed that the abundance and species found that the abundance of the gobies diversity of gobiid fishes seined from increased in shallow waters in March Salmanshahr was highest in spring. and April. A consideration of literature Four gobiid species could be identified reviews showed that the major reason in the specimens collected and P. of this increase seems to depend on bathybius was the most abundant their breeding seasons. Ragimov (1967, species. Ghelichi (1999) showed that in 1968) indicated that in the western, the Myankaleh Wetland the catch rate central and south Caspian Sea, of the gobies was highest in March and spawning period of P. gorlap occurred April, while the highest species in April and May and they approached diversity occurred in February. P. the coast during their spawning phase. gorlap was the most abundant goby He also showed that mature males of P. 554 Kalantarian et al., Species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae in Salmanshahr, …

bathybius begin approaching the coast 155.67 kg per 27 seine hauls (CPUE: in March or April. 5.76 kg per seine haul) from October to In this research a significant April, but in this research it was relationship between water temperature calculated as 16.32 kg per 70 seine and gobiid CPUE was observed. This hauls (CPUE: 0.23 kg per seine haul) suggests that temperature may play a over the same period. This suggests that role in the gobies distribution in coastal the stocks of gobiid fishes may have waters, but this relationship would need decreased in recent years. As mentioned further examination. The differences in previously, this decrease may have been the species diversity and the abundance affected by temporal and spatial of the gobies found in our study and in changes of the habitat. During the past Ghelichi (1999) research may have decade, passive introduction of alien been affected by characteristics of the species caused a rapid impact on the studied areas. In comparison with the Caspian Sea. Due to an invasive south central coast, the western and jellyfish Ctenophora, Mnemiopsis eastern coasts of the southern Caspian leidyi, which appeared in 1999 and Sea are characterized by gentle slopes affected all components of this habitat and higher sedimentation rates (Bagheri et al., 2012; Sarvi et al., (Lahijani et al., 2007). In our survey we 2014), the biomass of kilka, sampled fish in an area with sandy Clupeonella engrauliformis, that is a bottom and steep slopes. The results of prey item for the gobies, greatly Ghelichi (1999), however, were declined (Fazli et al., 2007). Moreover, reported in the south-eastern part of the cannibalism which was found in some Caspian Sea, with a muddy substrate, species of Gobiidae due to insufficient gentle slopes and stable conditions. food supply (Lissåker, 2007; Semenov,

Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 Different kinds of marine organisms 2009; Kalantarian et al., 2013) may be a have adapted to different substrates. significant factor responsible for The type of organisms present also changing the abundance of gobies. affects the establishment of others Construction of dams and canalization (Castro and Huber, 2008). The of rivers in recent years reduced differences may also reflect temporal freshwater flow and the amounts of changes of the Caspian Sea. The sediments entering the sea. It caused decreasing abundance of some species considerable changes in dynamics of such as Clupeonella, invasive species, coastal waters, wetlands and estuaries. sea-level fluctuations, and variation in River and marine pollution and algal sedimentation rate have impacted on blooms have also had drastic impacts conditions of the ecosystem during the on the habitat. Little information about past decade (Fazli et al., 2007; Lahijani gobiid species and interactions among et al., 2007; Abdoli and Naderi, 2008). them and other marine organisms in the In the survey by Ghelichi (1999), the Caspian Sea prevents us from catch rate of the gobies was reported as definitively explaining the reasons for Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 16(2) 2017 555

these changes. We hope that further Gobiidae family in east coastal area studies on the ecological and biological of Myankaleh. University of features of this family and the other fish Agricultural Science and Natural reveal more details about that structure Resource (Gorgan, Iran): MSc. and function of this marine ecosystem. Thesis. Kalantarian, S.M., Abdoli, A. and Reference Kiabi, B.H., 2013. Feeding strategy Abdoli, A. and Naderi, M., 2008. of the Deepwater Goby, Chasar Biodiversity of fishes of the southern bathybius, in the southern Caspian basin of the Caspian Sea. Abzeeyan Sea (: Gobiidae). Scientific Publications, Tehran. Zoology in the Middle East, 59, 3, Bagheri, S., Niermann, U., Sabkara, 245-252, Doi: J., Mirzajani, A. and Babaei, H., 10.1080/09397140.2013. 841431. 2012. State of Mnemiopsis leidyi Kiabi, B.H., Abdoli, A. and Naderi, (Ctenophora: Lobata) and M., 1999. Status of the fish fauna in Mesozooplankton in Iranian water of the South Caspian Basin of Iran. the Caspian Sea during 2008 in Zoology in the Middle East, 18, 57– comparison with previous surveys. 65. Iranian Journal of Fisheries Kottelat, M. and Freyhof, J., 2007. Sciences, 11, 4, 732-754. Handbook of European freashwater Castro, P. and Huber, M.E., 2008. fishes. Publications Kottelat, Marine Biology. 7th ed. Boston: Kottelat Cornol, Switzerland and McGraw-Hill. Freyhof, Berlin, Germany. Coad, B.W., 2007. Freshwater fishes of Krebs, C.J., 1999. Ecological Iran. Scientific names checklist. A. methodology. 2nd ed. New York, Downloaded from jifro.ir at 18:10 +0330 on Saturday March 3rd 2018 Freshwater fishes. Cambridge, Philadelphia and San www.briancoad.com Francisco: Harper and Row. Fazli, H., Zhang, C., Edward Hay, D., Lahijani, H.A.K., Rahimpour-Bonab, Lee, C., Janbaz, A. and Borani, H., Tavakoli, V. and Hosseindoost, M.S., 2007. Population ecological M., 2007. Evidence for late parameters and biomass of anchovy Holocene highstands in Central kilka Clupeonella engrauliformis in Guilan-East Mazanderan, South the Caspian Sea. Fisheries Science, Caspian coast, Iran. Quaternary 73, 285–294. International. Doi: 10.1016/ Freyhof, J. and Brooks, E., 2011. j.quaint.2007.10.005. European red list of freshwater Lissåker, M., 2007. Does time of the fishes. Luxembourg: Publications season influence filial cannibalism in Office of the European Union. the , Ghelichi, A., 1999. Survey of age, minutus? Environmental Biology of growth, food habits and fecundity of Fishes, 80, 69–75. 556 Kalantarian et al., Species diversity and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Gobiidae in Salmanshahr, …

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