Preliminary studies on the characteristics of growth of released prawn, Penaeus orientalis Kishinouye, for reproduction in middle Huanghai Sea fishing ground

The growing demand of prawn protein in the world has been demanding an increasing catch of prawn from the sea which, however, fails to meet the needs due to over exploitation. This ease has always been a keen subject among us fishery seientists. With the support and guidance of the Provincial Government of Shandong, the Shandong Fishery Bureau has been carrying out a project of "the Ex-

Spatial and temporal characteristics of trophic structure of the southern Huanghai Sea fish communities

The spatial and temporal characteristics of trophic structure of fish communities in the southern Huanghai Sea were examined based on the data sampled from bottom trawl surveys conducted during the autumn of 2000 and the spring of 2001. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster method and bootstrap randomization were used to identify significant trophic groups for each fish assemblage in the southern Huanghai Sea. A total of six major trophic groups were identified within this system, which classified predators based upon location in the water column or prey size （ i. e. , benthic to pelagic predators or fish to small invertebrate prey predators）. The similarity level used to identify significant trophic groups in each assemblage ranged from 24% to 34%. Although planktivores were the dominant trophic group in each assemblage （60% - 79% ）, there were spatial and temporal variations in the trophic structure, which reflected the differences in the abundance and availability of dominant preys. Simplified food webs were constructed to evaluate the most important trophic relationships between the dominant prey taxa and the fishes in each assemblage within this system. Although there were some differences in the key prey species among different food webs, pelagic prey items （mainly euphausiids and copepods） represent the most important energetic link between primary producers and higher trophic level predators. The trophic level for most fishes was between 3 and d, and the weighted mean trophic level for each assemblage ranged from 3.3 to 3.4. Compared with previous study in the mid-1980s, there was an obvious downward trend in the trophic level for most fish species, which resulted mainly from the fluctuation in key prey species in the Huanghai Sea. The decrease in the importance of Japanese anchovy seems to be offset by other abundant prey species such as Euphausia pacifica and copepods （ mainly Calanus sinicus ） .

Evaluation by ICP-MS of Essential, Nonessential and Toxic Elements in Brazilian Fish and Seafood Samples

Fish is considered one of the healthiest foods due to the high levels of several important cardioprotective compounds such as long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. However, due to widespread environmental pollution, high levels of contaminants may also be present in fish and seafood samples, which may counteract the beneficial effects of consumption of this food. With this in mind, the aims of this study were: 1) to examine both toxic and essential chemical elements in seafood and river and sea fish samples sold in different Brazilian regions by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS);2) to estimate the daily intake of these chemical elements by Brazilians. The toxic elements Ba, Cd, Pb, Sr, V and Sb were found in higher concentrations in seafood than in either sea or river fish, while As concentrations were higher in both seafood and sea fish than in river fish. On the other hand, Hg levels were higher in river and sea fish. Concentrations of the essential chemical elements Co, Mn, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn and Mo were significantly higher in seafood compared with both sorts of fish except for Se, whose levels were similar in seafood and sea fish. Daily intake of all chemical elements was estimated on the basis of a calculation of the amount of fish consumed by Brazilian households (mean fish and seafood consumption of 11.0 g/person/day). The amount of toxic element in fish and seafood did not represent a risk for the Brazilian people. Moreover, fish and seafood seem to be a good source of selenium.

A New model to forecast fishing ground of Scomber japonicus in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea

The pelagic species is closely related to the marine environmental factors, and establishment of forecasting model of fishing ground with high accuracy is an important content for pelagic fishery. The chub mackerel（Scomber japonicus） in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea is an important fishing target for Chinese lighting purse seine fishery. Based on the fishery data from China＇s mainland large-type lighting purse seine fishery for chub mackerel during the period of 2003 to 2010 and the environmental data including sea surface temperature（SST）, gradient of the sea surface temperature（GSST）, sea surface height（SSH） and geostrophic velocity（GV）, we attempt to establish one new forecasting model of fishing ground based on boosted regression trees. In this study, the fishing areas with fishing effort is considered as one fishing ground, and the areas with no fishing ground are randomly selected from a background field, in which the fishing areas have no records in the logbooks. The performance of the forecasting model of fishing ground is evaluated with the testing data from the actual fishing data in 2011. The results show that the forecasting model of fishing ground has a high prediction performance, and the area under receiver operating curve（AUC） attains 0.897. The predicted fishing grounds are coincided with the actual fishing locations in 2011, and the movement route is also the same as the shift of fishing vessels, which indicates that this forecasting model based on the boosted regression trees can be used to effectively forecast the fishing ground of chub mackerel in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.

Microplastic in Commercial Fish in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Part 1: The Mediterranean Sea

Microplastic has become a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. Microplastic in the oceans has detrimental effects on aquatic organisms. The presence of microplastic in marine fish heightens the chance of finding microplastic in seafood targeted for human consumption. The Mediterranean Sea is known to suffer from significant plastic pollution. It is also one of the most thoroughly studied water bodies in regard to microplastic contamination. The manuscript reviews the available literature of 2015-2021 on the presence of microplastic in commercially important fish species in the Mediterranean Sea. The literature data on microplastic content on beaches, in subtidal sediment, in the sediment from the ocean floor and in surface water of different regions of the Mediterranean Sea is reviewed, also.

Composition and distribution of fish species collectedduring the fourth Chinese National Arctic Research Ex-pedition in 2010

There are awareness and concerns caused by the decreasing sea ice coverage around the Arctic and Antarctic due to effects of climate change. Emphasis in this study was on rapid changes in Arctic sea ice coverage and its impacts on the marine ecology during the fourth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in 2010. Our purpose was to establish a baseline of Arctic fish compositions, and consequent effects of climate change on the fish community and biogeography. Fish specimens were col- lected using a multinet middle-water trawl, French-type beam trawl, otter trawl, and triangular bottom trawl. In total, 36 tows were carried out along the shelf of the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea in the Arctic Ocean. in total, 41 fish species belonging to 14 families in 7 orders were collected during the expedition. Among them, the Scorpaeniformes, including 17 species, accounted for almost one third of the total number （34.8%）, followed by 14 species of the Perciformes （27.0%）, 5 species of the Pleuronecti- formes （22.3%）, and 2 species of the Gadiformes （15.4%）. The top 6 most abundant species were Hippoglossoides robustus, Bore- gadus saida, Myoxocephalus scorpius, Lumpenus fabricii, Artediellus scaber, and Gymnoeanthus trieuspis. Abundant species var- ied according to the different fishing methods; numbers of families and species recorded did not differ with the various fishing methods; species and abundances decreased with depth and latitude; and species extending over their known geographic ranges were observed during the expedition. Station information, species list, and color photographs of all fishes are provided.

DNA Barcoding of Common Commercial Sea Catfish (Genus: Plicofollis) from Kuwait

Kuwait fish market is one of the richest markets of native marine fish species. Sea catfishes are not very important in economic point of view, and only few of them (four species) are present and mistakenly, they all named (Chem). Using DNA barcode technique, the common sea catfish present in the East major fish market (Sharq) was analyzed. Based on the most common species ID databases (Barcoding of life database, BOLD and NCBI database), the most proposal identification that is compatible with major survey in 1997, the sea catfish is Plicofollis tenuispinis, the thin-spin sea catfish with similarity 100% and phylogenetic support of 78% bootstrap value. This is the first application of DNA barcode technique to thin-spine sea catfish of Kuwait.

Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Fish, Squids and Crustaceans from the Red Sea, Jeddah Coast, Saudi Arabia

Concentration of Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Zinc and Mercury were determined in the muscles, gills and liver of ten fish species (Epinephelus areolatus, Epinephelus radiates, Anthias squamipinnis, Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides, Snubnose emperor, Dicentrarchus labrax, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus, lutjanus kasmira, lutjanus ehrenbergii and Acanthurus gahhm) as well as three specimens of crustaceans (Metapenaeus dalli, Panulirus penicillatus and Portunus petagicus) and two Specimens of squids (Parateuthis tunicate and Chtenopteryx sicula) collected from Jeddah coastal water during 2014. The obtained results declared that, the average concentrations of heavy metals were as follows: Cd (0.098, 0.20, 0.106), Cu (0.358, 0.327, 1.536), Pb (0.3, 0.257, 0.196), Zn (3.00, 7.390, 4.999) μg/g wet weight in the muscle, gills and liver, respectively. While, the concentration of Hg was invariably undetectable in all samples of different organs of the collected fish species. The average concentration of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and Hg in the soft part of the investigated crustaceans (Metapenaeus dalli, Panulirus penicillatus and Portunus petagicus) and squids (Parateuthis tunicate and Chtenopteryx sicula) were relatively higher compared with the muscle tissues in the examined fish species. The results of bioconcentration factor (BCFs) indicated that among examined metals Zn was the most readily absorbed by fish and the highest BAFs for examined fish species were determined in gill of Snubnose emperor.

Fish assemblages in seagrass habitat along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba

The spatial distribution and community structure of the fishes were studied at different depths and sites along the Jordanian coast in seagrass habitat. A total of 37,034 fishes were counted representing 132 species belonging to 35 families observed during visual census in three sites (average of 4741.6 fish per transect). Out of the 132 species encountered, 5 species of them including Neopomacentrus miryae Lethrinus borbonicus, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, Lethrinus variegatus, Siganus rivulatus accounted for 57.7% of all individuals. Fishes were most abundant and significantly higher at 12 m depths (mean N = 2889.6) in comparison with shallow 6m depth (mean = 1225.3 with (p = 0.0218). This may be attributed to many plank-tivorous fishes that inhabit this depth such as P. squampinnis, Paracheilinus octotaenia, Chromis pelloura, Decapterus macarellus, and Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis probably with high abundance of plankton at 12 m depth than 6 m. The number of species was significantly higher in Phosphate Loading Berth (PLB;mean S = 54.7) than in Hotels area site (HA;mean S = 12.8) with (p = 0.0002) and Tala Bay site (TB;mean S = 31) with (p = 0.0484). This may be due to higher hard coral cover at Phophate Loading Berth.

Effect of Locality, Host Species and Sex on the Metazoan Parasitic Infestation of Two, Species of <i>Scarus</i>Fish from the Red Sea Coast at Jeddah and Rabigh in Saudi Arabia

A total number of 60 specimens of two different species of Scarus fish caught from the Red Sea coast at Jeddah (30) and Rabigh (30) cities in Saudi Arabia were examined to determine their metazoan parasitic fauna, their prevalences, and mean intensities. Collected parasites were identified as, Isopoda (praniza larva of Gnathia sp.), Copepoda (Hatschekia sp.) Monogenea (Diplectanum sp.) and Digenea (Lecithoclaster and Bucephalus spp). Out of 30 specimens of fish caught from Jeddah coast 13 (43.4%) were infested by 90 parasites comprising of two parasite species, praniza larva and Hatschekia sp., with prevalence of infestation 40% and 3.33%, and mean intensity 7 and 6 parasites per fish respectively. 19 (63.3%) of Scarus fish caught from Rabigh coast were infested by 205 parasites representing 4 parasite spp. Diplectanum sp. represents the most commonly encountered parasite with prevalence (53.3%) and mean intensity (10.94%), followed by (Lecithoclaster sp. then praniza larva, prevalances (16.66% and 13.3%) and mean inentisities (3.4. and 1.75) respectively. Bucephalus sp. showed the minor, prevalence (3.33%) and mean intensity (6). Generally Scarus fish species from Rabigh had higher prevalence and mean intensity (63.3% and 7.59%) than Scarus fish species from Jeddah (43.4% and 6.92%). Female fish from Jeddah showed no parasitic infestation, while males were infested (prevalence 65% and mean intensity 6.92). Female fish from Rabigh had higher prevalence (84.21) and lower intensity (6.43) than males which showed prevalence (27.27%) and intensity (19). Relationship between parasitic infestation and fish species and sex were also studied in the two different localities and discussed.

An estimate of fish biomass at the bottom layer of the Bohai Sea

The biomasses of fishes at the bottom layer of the Bohai Sea are extimated by analysing the data on samples (447 hauls,more than 0.2 million in number or 20 t in weight of fishes) collected monthly by our institute from April, 1982 to May, 1983 by a pair of bottom trawls through the Bohai Sea. The exploitation problems are also discussed in this paper.

Roles of fishing and climate change in long-term fish species succession and population dynamics in the outer Beibu Gulf,South China Sea

A prevailing,controversial hypothesis is that fishing pressure has played a greater role than climatic and environmental drivers,in changing fish species succession and biomass fluctuation in the South China Sea(SCS).Based on otter trawl survey data from 1959 to 2010 in the outer Beibu Gulf(OBG),northern SCS,large seasonal and interannual variation is reported for fish species composition,the proportional abundances of dominant taxa,and fish biomass.Generalized additive models are developed to quantify relationships between fish biomass and the external factors of fishing pressure and climate change.Fishing pressure proved to be the main driver of sharp declines in demersal fish stocks,with high-value species being replaced by low-value ones over time.Abrupt decreases in fish biomass during the years of 1993 and 1998 correspond to El Nino events,with climate change possibly the main driver of proportional representation of pelagic species in fisheries trawl catch.The need to differentiate impacts of fishing and environmental drivers on fish species with different life history strategies is stressed to better understand fish community dynamics.

Characterizing Potential Fishing Zone of Skipjack Tuna during the Southeast Monsoon in the Bone Bay-Flores Sea Using Remotely Sensed Oceanographic Data

Potential fishing zones for skipjack tuna in the Bone Bay-Flores Sea were investigated from satellite-based oceanography and catch data, using a linear model (generalized linear model) constructed from generalized additive models and geographic information systems. Monthly mean remotely sensed sea surface temperature and surface chlorophyll-a concentration during the southeast monsoon (April-August) were used for the year 2012. The best generalized additive model was selected to assess the effect of marine environment variables (sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration) on skipjack tuna abundance (catch per unit effort). Then, the appropriate linear model was constructed from the functional relationship of the generalized additive model for generating a robust predictive model. Model selection process for the generalized additive model was based on significance of model terms, decrease in residual deviance, and increase in cumulative variance explained, whereas the model selection for the linear model was based on decrease in residual deviance, reduction in Akaike’s Information Criterion, increasing cumulative variance explained and significance of model terms. The best model was selected to predict skipjack tuna abundance and their spatial distribution patterns over entire study area. A simple linear model was used to verify the predicted values. Results indicated that the distribution pattern of potential fishing zones for skipjack during the southeast monsoon were well characterized by sea surface temperatures ranging from 28.5℃ to 30.5 ℃ and chlorophyll-a ranging from 0.10 to 0.20 mg·m-3. Predicted highest catch per unit efforts were significantly consistent with the fishing data (P 2 = 0.8), suggesting that the oceanographic indicators may correspond well with the potential feeding ground for skipjack tuna. This good feeding opportunity for skipjack was driven the dynamics of upwelling operating within study area which are capable of creating a highly potential fishing zone during the southeast monsoon.

Distribution characteristics of zooplankton biomass in the East China Sea

On the basis of the data of oceanographic survey in the East China Sea in four seasons during 1997-2000 (23°30'~33°00'N, 118°30'-128°E), the variation of total biomass and diet biomass of zooplankton and their spatial-temporal distribution and relationship with the fishing ground of Engraulis japonicus are approached and analyzed. The results show that the average biomass is 65.32 mg/m3 in four seasons, autumn (86.18 mg/m3) being greater than summer (69.18 mg/m3) greater than spring (55.67 mg/m3) greater than winter (50.33 mg/m3). The average value of diet zooplankton biomass is 40.9 mg/m3. The trends of horizontal distribution both in the total biomass and the diet biomass of zooplankton are similar. The high biomass region (250-500 mg/m3) is very limited, only accounting for 1% of the investigation area. Seasonal variation of the biomass is very remarkable in the west and north parts of East China Sea coastal waters ( 29°30'N,125°E). The horizontal distribution of diet zooplankton depends on the abundance distribution of crustacean. The distribution of diet zooplankton is related to the fishing ground of Engraulis japonicus and the high-density area of young fish and larval. In spring, the central fishing ground of Engraulis japonicus (>100 kg/h) and the high-density area of young fish and larval (>100 individuals per net) are located at the same place of high-density (100-250 mg/m3)area of diet zooplankton in the middle-southern part of East China Sea or the edge of its waters.

A Model for the Calculation of Velocity Reduction Behind A Plane Fishing Net

A model for the calculation of velocity reduction behind a fishing net is proposed in this paper. Comparisons are made between the calculated results and experimental data. It is shown that by the application of the effective adjacent area coefficient of fluid flowing around a solid structure to the fishing net, the calculated results agree well with the experimental data. The model proposed in this paper can also be applied to the analysis of the velocity reduction within a fishing cage and can be introduced into the numerical simulation of the hydrodynamic behavior of fishing cages for the improvement of computational accuracy.

The history and future of the biological resources of the Caspian and the Aral Seas

The term ‘biological resources' here means a set of organisms that can be used by man directly or indirectly for consumption. They are involved in economic activities and represent an important part of a country's raw material potential. Many other organisms are also subject to rational use and protection. They can be associated with true resource species through interspecific relationships. The Caspian and Aral Seas are continental water bodies, giant saline lakes. Both categories of species are represented in the benthic and pelagic communities of the Caspian and Aral Seas and are involved in human economic activities. The most important biological resource of the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea is their ichthyofauna, represented by both aboriginal species and species introduced by man in the 20 th century. Among invertebrates, the main biological resource of these saline lakes is the brine shrimp A rtemia. The physical state of the Caspian as a water body is relatively stable but its biological resources are very seriously af fected by irrational use. The Aral Sea since the second half of the 20 t h century has experienced catastrophic anthropogenic regression, which has led to the almost complete loss of its biological resources due to salinization. However, thanks to efficacious engineering measures, it has now become possible to preserve its northern part(Small Aral) and rehabilitate it, lowering the salinity to its former state. The result has been the restoration of its fish biological resources. In the southern part of Aral(Large Aral), which turned into a group of separated hypersaline reservoirs, the only resource species currently available is the brine shrimp A rtemia. The main environmental threats for biological resources of the future Caspian and Aral as well as potential solutions are considered.

Fishing Ground Distribution of Neon Flying Squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) in Relation to Oceanographic Conditions in the Northwest Pacific Ocean

Neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, is a squid species of the North Pacific Ocean, which plays an important economical role in the international fishery. Logbook data for Chinese squid-jigging fishery over 2004–2011 were used to evaluate the relationship between the fishing grounds of the squid and the convergent frontal areas, which were defined by the contour lines of specific sea surface temperature(SST) and chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) concentration. Our results indicate that the SST in the range of 15 to 19℃ and the Chl-a concentration in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 mg m^(-3) are the favorable conditions for the aggregation of the squid. Additionally, we deduced that the SST at 17.5℃ and the Chl-a concentration at 0.25 mg m^(-3) are the optimal environmental conditions for the aggregation of O. bartramii. In August, the annual CPUE is positively correlated with the proportion of the fishing grounds with favorable SST and Chl-a concentration, as well as the combination of the two variables, implying that the abundance of the squid annually is largely depending on the presence of the favorable environmental conditions for fishery in August. Minor spatial difference between mean latitudinal location of the 17.5℃ SST and 0.25 mg m^(-3) Chl-a fronts can increase the CPUEs of O. bartramii. Furthermore, the monthly latitudinal gravity centers of the CPUE closely followed the mean latitudinal position of the contour lines of the 17.5℃ SST and the 0.25 mg m^(-3) Chl-a concentration. Our findings suggest the convergent oceanographic features(fronts) play significant roles in regulating the distribution and abundance of the western stock of the winter-spring cohort of O. bartramii, which can help people to improve their ability to discover the O. bartramii fishing grounds with higher productivity.

Levels of Heavy Metals in Fishes (Cheilinus trilobatus) from the Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan

Heavy metal concentrations of Ni, Mg, Co, Cr, Cd and Cu were investigatedusing flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) in the liver, kidney, muscle, scale, gonad, gill and stomach of Cheilinus trilobatus fish species from the northern Gulf of Aqaba. Cheilinus trilobatus fish species were collected during the period May to August 2013. The results indicated significant differences between different organs of Cheilinus trilobatus for Ni (p = 0.0002), Fe (p = 0.0213), Co (p p Cheilinus trilobatus and its length. The levels of metal concentration of the present study were generally lower or within the ranges of those found in the fish of the Red Sea. After all, Cheilinus trilobatus fish species was found to be safe for consumption and do not pose a significant threat to the health of human consumers.

Safety Equipment in Artisanal Maritime Fishing in Gabon: Between Adaptation and the Weight of Socio-Cultural Logics at the Libreville Artisanal Fishing Center (CAPAL)

Maritime safety equipment allows to prevent and minimize the risks inherent to navigation at sea. However, in the artisanal maritime fishery in Gabon, fishermen are confronted with the major difficulty of the inaccessibility of protective tools to carry out fishing trips in all peace of mind. The absence of equipment to help maritime navigation poses the problem of insecurity in which the various artisanal fishermen work, often victims of numerous accidents at sea. This article aims at highlighting the difficulties of accessibility, by the fishermen, of all the conventional protection tools recommended by the administrations. In fact, the methodology used is based on the consultation of official reports and publications on the subject, field observations and semi-structured interviews with 110 actors. The results obtained reveal, on the one hand, a plethora of conventional protective equipment required of fishing vessels. On the other hand, they reveal the high cost of safety equipment which creates, among the professionals concerned, a reluctance to acquire all of the said tools and forces the interested parties to associate them very often with the traditional procedures for rescue at sea.

An Inventory of Some Relatively Large Marine Mammals, Reptiles, and Fishes Sighted, Caught, By-Caught, or Stranded in the Mediterranean Coast of the Gaza Strip-Palestine

The Mediterranean Sea is home to an interesting biodiversity. The current cumulative and descriptive study aims to enumerate some relatively large marine mammals, reptiles, and fishes that have been spotted, caught, by-caught, or stranded on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which extends about 42 km along the Mediterranean Sea. This 20-year study from 2003 to 2022 relied much on frequent field visits, meetings, and discussions with stakeholders, following local media sites and social media pages, and photography. The study recorded at least 26 giants or relatively large marine organisms on the Mediterranean coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Certainly, the coming years may bring other marine organisms of relatively large sizes. Marine mammals included three species of cetaceans with the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) being the largest mammal and even the largest animal ever recorded in this study. Marine reptiles included three species of sea turtles, the largest of which is the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which is in fact the world’s largest sea turtle. The bony fishes were represented by ten species, the largest of which was the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), which is the largest bony fish in the world. The cartilaginous fishes included ten species with the largest specimens encountered were the Shortfin Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus), Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), and Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular). Seabirds were not included in the study. The Alexandria Pompano (Alectis alexandrinus) and the Silver-Cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), which are bony fishes, appear to be the relatively smallest marine organisms recorded here. In conclusion, the role of the various parties must be coordinated to ensure the sustainability of human activities and their compatibility with the task of conserving local marine biota, including the gigantic or relatively large ones.