Catch Composition of Trawl Fisheries in Mersin Bay with Emphasis on Catch Biodiversity
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Turkish Journal of Zoology Turk J Zool (2016) 40: 522-533 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/zoo-1505-35 Catch composition of trawl fisheries in Mersin Bay with emphasis on catch biodiversity 1, 1 2 Gökhan GÖKÇE *, İsmet SAYGU , Ahmet Raif ERYAŞAR 1 Faculty of Fisheries, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey 2 Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey Received: 21.05.2015 Accepted/Published Online: 02.03.2016 Final Version: 09.06.2016 Abstract: This study presents the catch composition and biodiversity of Mersin Bay, northeastern Mediterranean, which is an important fishing ground for demersal trawls. A total of 182 hauls were performed on board a commercial trawler on the commercial fishing grounds between 15 September 2009 and 15 April 2013. The monthly changes in species composition were analyzed by conducting cluster analysis based on catch per unit effort (CPUE), nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS), and correlation vectors, which were used to evaluate the discrete groups. Shannon–Wiener index (H’), its evenness (J’) component, and the Pielou evenness index were calculated to clarify temporal monthly changes. One hundred and thirty-five species belonging to 10 classes, 26 orders, and 71 families were identified. CPUE values were 1558 (individual/h) and 23.96 (kg/h), respectively. While the most abundant species were Mullus barbatus in terms of IRI and CPUE (kg/h), Equulites klunzingeri had the highest CPUE (N/h). Four clear clusters of the months were observed. The highest diversity was observed in November, with H’ = 3.28 and J’ = 0.74 index values. The results highlighted the differences of catch composition between fishing months. Key words: Bottom trawl fisheries, species composition, catch per unit effort, index of relative importance 1. Introduction of demersal fish and crustacean species due to its large Bottom trawl fisheries are one of the main anthropogenic continental shelf, bottom type, and river discharge (Gücü factors leading to the degradation of coastal areas of the and Bingel, 1994; Gökçe, 2012). Thus, bottom trawl Mediterranean Sea due to the multispecies nature of trawl fisheries are dominant in the region. Discard is one of the fisheries (Jackson et al., 2001; Coll et al., 2010). major problems (Gücü, 2012; Özbilgin et al., 2013), and The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported fisheries management is very complicated, similar to other in 2012 that in 2009, 33% of the Mediterranean and Black ecosystems of the Mediterranean. Sea fish stocks were fully exploited, 50% were overexploited, Bottom trawls, which are the most efficient fishing and only 17% were not fully exploited. In the Mediterranean method for demersal fisheries in the area, are regulated by Sea, the main stocks of sole, most sea breams, and all hake the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs with certain and red mullet are overexploited. Moreover, the increasing restrictions, including closed zones, seasons, distance, and introduction of the Lessepsian species (i.e. migration from the shape and size of the codend (Kaykaç et al., 2012). the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal), Fishing is prohibited from 1 April to 1 September for purse which compete with the native species, is an important seine and until 15 September for bottom trawlers (Turkish threat, especially in the eastern Mediterranean. According Fisheries Regulations No 3/1, 2012). Currently, traditional to Golani (1998), the construction of the Suez Canal and the bottom trawl nets have 600, 700, 860, or 900 meshes Aswan High Dam in the eastern Mediterranean has caused around the mouth, with a 44-mm mesh size hand-woven the greatest human-made effect on a marine ecosystem. slack knotted codend (Özbilgin et al., 2010; Özbilgin et al., Thus, fishing and invasive species are the two main factors 2013), which have poor selectivity and a high discard ratio that have heavily degraded the Levantine marine ecosystem. (Özbilgin et al., 2013; Eryaşar et al., 2014). Lessepsian species have come to constitute an important Although many scientific studies have been carried out part of the catch (Gücü et al., 2010; Türkstat, 2012). on the discard composition and selectivity of commercial Even though the continental shelf is narrow in most species in Mersin Bay, relatively little is known about the areas of the northeastern Mediterranean, Mersin Bay catch composition, including target and nontarget species is relatively wide. The bay is very productive in terms or catch biodiversity. * Correspondence: [email protected] 522 GÖKÇE et al. / Turk J Zool Understanding the catch composition and biodiversity from multimonofilament (∅ 0.35 mm × 15) polyethylene of bottom trawl fisheries is important for evaluating the (PE) twine material, 4 m in stretched length, 300 meshes effects of trawl fisheries on the spectrum of biodiversity. in circumference, and 44 mm in nominal mesh size. Generally, species richness and evenness represent When the catch was on board, it was selected as biodiversity (Jennings and Reynolds, 2000). retained or discarded by the crew, and then sorted into This paper will discuss the catch composition and species and measured by the researchers. According to the biodiversity of the commercial bottom trawl fisheries in time and sea conditions, the number (N) and weight (W) Mersin Bay, northeastern Mediterranean, and will identify of each retained and discarded species were measured by the catch per unit effort (CPUE) and discard status for applying subsample. each species. This information will provide the necessary CPUE (Sparre and Venema, 1992) for each species was knowledge and baseline data to help fill a main gap in the calculated and standardized in number and kg per hour region with regard to fisheries management and ecological for each haul: framework, the latter of which is currently disputed. Σ C / N CPUE = i ç , 2. Materials and methods Σ t / Nç Sea trials were carried out in the commercial fishing where ʹC ʹ is the catch amount in N or W (kg) for species grounds of Mersin Bay, eastern Mediterranean, at depths i i; ʹN ʹ, is the number of hauls, and ʹtʹ is haul duration in ranging from 14.7 to 141.1 m, between 15 September ç hours ʹhʹ. 2009 and 15 April 2013 (Figure 1). Sea trials were only Index of relative importance (IRI) was calculated using conducted during the legal fishing season. A total of the following formula (Pinkas et al., 1970): 182 valid hauls were performed on board 7 different commercial trawlers with tow durations ranging from 91 IRI= Fi (Ni+Wi), to 360 min. The tow speed ranged from 2.3 to 3.1 knots. where ʹNʹ is the percentage of CPUE (N/h) for species i; Detailed monthly information on the hauls is presented in ʹWʹ, is the percentage of CPUE (kg/h) for species i; ʹFʹ, and Table 1. The commercial codend (CD44) was hand-woven is the total observed haul frequency for species ʹiʹ. Figure 1. Study area. Table 1. Haul summary. Fishing months Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr All Haul number 36 26 17 27 17 21 20 18 182 Total haul duration (h) 106.9 69.8 43.9 65.4 54.7 64.4 56.5 58.2 519.7 Mean haul depth (m) 35.6 ± 15.5 30.7 ± 15.1 41.6 ± 21.3 34.0 ± 14.1 36.4 ± 19.6 51.5 ± 25.5 48.5 ± 12.7 79.5 ± 55.3 42.9 ± 27.4 523 GÖKÇE et al. / Turk J Zool Species richness (S), Shannon–Wiener diversity (H´), Mutlu and Ergev, 2008). The analyses were performed and Pielou’s evenness (J´) indices were calculated. Species using the Fathom Toolbox for MATLAB (Jones, 2014). richness is the number of species, Shannon–Wiener diversity index (log2base) (Kindt, 2005): 3. Results n 3.1. Catch composition and biodiversity indices l HP= –/ i ln Pi , During the study period, a total of 135 species belonging to i = 1 10 classes, 26 orders, and 71 families encountered the gear where is the proportion of the total number of individuals (Table 2). It was estimated that bottom trawl fishermen in the population of species , and evenness (Kindt, 2005): caught 1558 individuals and 23.96 kg/h during the fishing season. The highest CPUE was found in September as 47.82 J´= (H´) ⁄ logS kg/h and 2989 N/h, and the lowest values were observed Rank curves, ranking species in descending order as 13.90 kg/h in January and 843 N/h in February (Table according to CPUE% (N/h), and CPUE% (kg/h) of 3). The results highlight a dramatic decline in CPUE after the species were used to demonstrate the indication of September, which is the beginning of the fishing season evenness. The indices and calculations were performed (Figure 2). Whilst the 27 species described retained monthly during each fishing month (from September to (landed), discarded species were 57 and 48. April). The catch mainly consisted of 40.43% commercial Cluster analyses were performed to understand the fish, 13.79% commercial invertebrates, 6.23% Lessepsian differences between catch compositions in different fishing commercial fish, 7.88% Lessepsian commercial months. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity matrix and average invertebrates, 7.70% discarded fish, 4.56% discarded method (Kindt, 2005; Mutlu and Ergev, 2008, 2012) were invertebrates, 4.98% Lessepsian discarded fish, 9.32% used for the cluster analysis and applied to standardized Lessepsian discarded invertebrates, 5.11% Elasmobranchs data CPUE (N/h) and CPUE (kg/h), transformed using in terms of CPUE (kg/h), and 23.40%, 13.29%, 3.86%, 6.64%, 15.93%, 1.99%, 20.45%, 14.36%, and 0.09 in terms Log10(X + 1). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and correlation vectors were used to evaluate the of CPUE (N/h), respectively.