Biology, distribution and diversity of cartilaginous fish species along the Lebanese coast, eastern Mediterranean Myriam Lteif To cite this version: Myriam Lteif. Biology, distribution and diversity of cartilaginous fish species along the Lebanese coast, eastern Mediterranean. Ecology, environment. Université de Perpignan, 2015. English. NNT : 2015PERP0026. tel-01242769 HAL Id: tel-01242769 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01242769 Submitted on 14 Dec 2015 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Délivré par UNIVERSITE DE PERPIGNAN VIA DOMITIA Préparée au sein de l’école doctorale Energie et Environnement Et de l’unité de recherche CEntre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens (CEFREM) UMR 5110 CNRS UPVD Spécialité : Océanologie Présentée par Myriam LTEIF BIOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND DIVERSITY OF CARTILAGINOUS FISH SPECIES ALONG THE LEBANESE COAST, EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Soutenue le 22 Septembre 2015 devant le jury composé de Eric CLUA, HDR, Délégué Régional à la Recherche et à la Rapporteur Technologie (DRRT), Polynésie Française Ghassan EL ZEIN, Professeur, Université Libanaise Rapporteur Bernard SERET, Chercheur, IRD Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Examinateur Philippe LENFANT, Professeur, HDR, UPVD Examinateur Gaby KHALAF, Professeur, CNRS Libanais Directeur Marion VERDOIT-JARRAYA, Maître de conférences, UPVD Co-directrice To my parents, Imane and Issam To my sister, Stephanie To the love of my life, Salim You all mean the world to me… In loving memory of Hanna Kattoura Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost Acknowledgements I would like to offer my deepest gratitude to Dr. Eric Clua and Professor Ghassan El Zein who judged this work, Dr. Bernard Seret, Dr. Philippe Lenfant for their presence in the jury. They all gave me the honor and pleasure of being present during my thesis defense and their remarks were very beneficial to me. I am indebted to Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD), especially the directors of the Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens (CEFREM), Serge Heussner and Wolfgang Ludwig for welcoming me during my thesis. They offered a very rewarding work environment. My gratitude also goes to the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research CNRS-L for granting me a scholarship for a thesis project, as well as hosting me during the course of my thesis in its National Center for Marine Sciences (NCMS) in Batroun. I offer gratitude to my supervisor Professor Gaby Khalaf and my co-supervisor Dr. Marion Verdoit-Jarraya because this thesis would not have been possible without their trust and support. I thank them both for their guidance and for granting their vast experience, advice and interpretations to help accomplish this work. It could not have been completed without their full commitment, patience and kindness. My thanks goes to Professor Jean Benkhelil and Professor Marie Abboud Abi Saab for their continuous presence in my thesis committee. My deepest gratitude goes to my friend and mentor, Dr. Rita Mouawad, for the hand she put in the birth of this thesis, her persistent help in all times, and above all, her friendship. Her continuous support, patience, motivation, and knowledge gave me strength throughout the course of this thesis. Similarly, I would like to thank all the staff of the CNRS-Lebanon for their warm welcome, kindness and confidence. I would like to thank all the members of the NCMS in Batroun and Jounieh, Lebanon. I would also like to offer my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Sherif Jemaa for his nonstop support and help in sampling throughout the course of this thesis. My cordial gratitude also goes to Dr. Mona Ibrahim for her maintained support. In addition, I would like to thank Stefano Lelli, the coordinator of the PESCA-Libano project which was carried out in the framework of the CANA project of CNRS. His help on the field and with the survey data collection provided more study aspects during the course of this thesis. My gratitude then goes to all my colleagues: Céline Mahfouz, Elissar Gemayel, Anthony Ouba, Abed El Rahman Hassoun, Ali Badereldinne, Laury Acaf, Aurore Assaker; friends: Karine Hage Maria Feghali and Rawa Fallah; and all whom I could not mention for their persistent support in all times. Last but not least, my deepest gratitude and love goes to my parents Imane and Issam Lteif and my sister Stephanie for pouring their faith and support in me during all times. Finally, I present the most profound gratitude to my fiancé Salim Kattoura. His presence in my life and his great love granted me encouragement that allowed me to complete this work. He coated me with love and affection during my most vulnerable and difficult moments. Abstract Facing the intensive fishing of marine species occupying high trophic levels, the establishment of appropriate management measures is needed. The aim of this study is to contribute to a better knowledge of cartilaginous fish in the Lebanese coastal waters, Eastern Mediterranean. After a general introduction (Chapter I) presenting the context and objectives of the study, an overview of the study site and diverse methods (Chapter II) (data collection, biological measurements, statistical analyses etc.) are displayed. Data was collected from an experimental survey in the framework of the CIHEAM PESCA-Libano project and periodic observation of fisheries and catches of hired fishermen. Chapter III presented a literature review on the biology, ecology and geographic range of cartilaginous fish from the Eastern Mediterranean. In the first part of Chapter IV, emphasis was placed on various aspects of spatial and seasonal distribution, diversity, biology and ecology of these species. In this study, a total of 315 specimens of cartilaginous fish were sampled. These specimens constituted of 25 cartilaginous fish species, including 11 shark species and 14 batoid species. No chimaeras were recorded. The majority of the sharks sampled were Centrophorus granulosus, Galeus melastomus, Squalus blainville and Mustelus mustelus. The majority of the batoids sampled were Rhinobatos rhinobatos, Rhinobatos cemiculus, Torpedo marmorata, Torpedo nobiliana, Raja miraletus and Raja clavata. These cartilaginous fish specimens were caught at depths ranging from 10 to 600 m majorly using longlines, then trammel nets and the least were caught using gillnets. The Catch Per Unit Effort was used as an index of abundance and its spatial and seasonal variations were analyzed. The spatio-temporal diversity was also estimated and the highest values were observed in the southern region and during spring and winter. In the second part, different length-weight relationships have been established for species with exhibiting 10 or more individuals (3 sharks and 5 batoids). Furthermore, a focus was placed on the biology and ecology of two commercially significant and exploited species. The population biology of the batoid Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Chapter V) and the shark Centrophorus granulosus (Chapter VI) were evaluated separately using individuals from the two data sources combined (scientific and commercial). Finally, the last chapter (Chapter VII) is devoted to the general discussion and perspectives of this study. Keywords: Chondrichthyans; conservation; distribution; life history; Lebanon; Levantine basin Résumé Face à la pêche intensive des espèces marines de haut niveau trophique, l‘instauration de mesures de gestion appropriées s‘avère nécessaire. L‘objectif de cette étude est de contribuer à une meilleure connaissance des poissons cartilagineux dans les eaux côtières libanaises de la Méditerranée orientale. Après une introduction générale (chapitre I) introduisant le contexte et les objectifs de l‘étude, vient la présentation du site d‘étude et des diverses méthodes employées (collectes des données, mesures biologiques, analyses statistiques etc.) (chapitre II). Les données ont été collectées à partir de captures expérimentales dans le cadre du projet scientifique "CIHEAM PESCA-Libano" et d‘observations périodiques des poissons capturés par les pêcheurs et présents dans les poissonneries. Le chapitre III est dédié à une synthèse bibliographique sur la biologie, l‘écologie et la répartition géographique des poissons cartilagineux de la Méditerranée orientale. Dans une première partie du chapitre IV, l'accent a été mis sur les différents aspects de la distribution spatiale et saisonnière, la diversité, la biologie et l'écologie de ces espèces. Au total, 314 spécimens de poissons cartilagineux ont été échantillonnés appartenant à 25 espèces, dont 11 espèces de requins et 14 espèces de batoïdes. Aucune chimère n‘a été enregistrée. Les requins échantillonnés étaient constitués majoritairement des espèces: Centrophorus granulosus, Galeus melastomus, Squalus blainville et Mustelus mustelus. La majorité des batoïdes était constituée de Rhinobatos rhinobatos, Rhinobatos cemiculus, Torpedo marmorata, Torpedo nobiliana, Raja miraletus et Raja