BOTTOM TRAWL DISCARDS IN THE GULF OF SUEZ, EGYPT

BOTTOM TRAWL DISCARDS IN THE GULF OF SUEZ, EGYPT
AZZA A.H. EL-GANAINY, MOHAMED H. YASSIEN AND EZZAT A. IBRAHIM
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Suez Branch, P.O. Box 182, Suez, Egypt.
Key words: Trawling discards, Red Sea, Gulf of Suez.
ABSTRACT
A bottom trawl survey was conducted on the northern part of the Gulf of Suez. The
survey was carried out on a commercial trawler for a period of 11 days in March 2003.
Data collected on board from about 77 hauls were used to estimate discarded quantities.
About 56.1 % of the total catch was discarded at sea. Rate of discards per hour was found
to be 28.2 % higher than the rate of landed catch per hour. The main components of the
discards were fish and crustaceans. The discarded quantities were studied in relation to
depths, duration of the hauls, marketable yield of each haul and the area (eastern and
western sides of the Gulf of Suez). The discarded yield of fish showed more precise
relationship with their marketable yield in each haul than did crustaceans and echinoderms.
Discard percentage is decreasing with the increase in depth. The size of discarded fish and
invertebrates proved to be a good measurement to study discarding, to compare differences
between the two areas and to investigate the discarding procedure in relation to depth.