Fisheries status of the common species of family Mullidae in the Southern Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt

Abstract

The population structures and stock status of the goatfish (Family; Mullidae) were investigated from Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt to reach the optimum exploitation. fish samples were monthly collected from the Hurghada harbor during 2016. As a result, the goatfish was mainly caught by gillnet and trammel nets in the study area, and they were classified into seven species; Mulloidichthys flavolineatus (Lacepède, 1801); M. vanicolensis (Valenciennes, 1831); Parupeneus forsskali (Four-manoir & Guézé, 1976); P. macronema (Lacepède, 1801); P. cyclostomus (Lacepède, 1801); P.rubescens (Lacepède, 1801) and P. heptacanthus (Lacepède, 1801). Measurments and information were collected for different species, while data anylysis was conducted for the most abundant ones (earlier three species). The catch composition by number showed that M. flavolineatus was the most abundant (43%), followed by P. forsskali and M. vanicolensis (19%, and 12% respectively). Hence, the obtained data on these species were as follows; their average lengths were 20.04 ±2.86, 22.07±3.592 and 19.52 ±3.144 for M. flavolineatus, M. vanicolensis and P. forsskali. The length classes of M. flavolineatus ranged from 11-11.9 cm to 33-33.9 cm TL. The majority of lengths were 16 to 24 cm with the highest frequency at 19cm TL (16.92%). M. vanicolensis, ranged from 15 to 31 cm TL, and the most occurred lengths were from 17 to 28 cm with the highest frequency at 19 cm TL (16%). The length range of P. forsskali (11 to 27 cm), showed the highest frequencies at length groups (18 to 20 cm) with the highest one at 18-18.9 cm TL (14.93%). The over all sex ratio, gave the females predomination of M. flavolineatus (53.75%) and M. vanicolensis (68%) with ratio (1:0.86 and 1:0.47 respectively). P. forsskali showed slightly the parity between females (49.87%) and males (50.13 %) with sex ratio of 1:1.01. Gonado-somatic indices reflected the spawning season from May to August for M. flavolineatus while it extended from April to August for M. vanicolensis and P. forsskali. The length at first capture (Lc) was 14.9, 15.53 and 11.98 cm for c. sexes of M. flavolineatus, M. vanicolensis and P. forsskali respectively. The length at maturity (L m ) was 17cm, 19.2 cm and 16 cm for the same species respectively, and these were higher than those of Lc. The mean total mortality coefficients “Z,“were found to be 1.49, 1.43 and 1.09 year- 1 for three species respectively. Exploitation rate “E” was computed as 0.68, 056 and 0.49 respectively. These values were higher than the optimum expoitaions and other reference points for relative yield per recruit confirming their over exploitation status. So, the fisheries status of goatfishes need to more studies, its stock need to be reduced in to the suitable exploitaions from 0.68 to 0.33 ≈ 49% and 0.56 to 0.35 ≈ 39% and from 0.49 to 0.33 ≈ 32% for M. flavolineatus, M. vanicolensis and P. forsskali respectively combined with well management plan to be enhanced, recovered and to maintain a sufficient spawning biomass.