ANALYSIS OF BEACHSEINE CATCH FROMABU-QIR BAY (EGYPT)

ANALYSIS OF BEACHSEINE CATCH

FROMABU-QIR BAY (EGYPT)

By
S. N. FALTAS*
*National Institute ofOceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt.
Key Words: Beach seine, TrashflSh, Abu-Qir Bay, Mediterranean Sea.
ABSTRACT
The catch of the Egyptian Mediterranean small beach seine
operating in Abu-Qir Bay during the period from October 1994 to
September 1995 was analyzed. it amounted about 13 kg per haul of
two main categories: economic (21 %) and non-economic species or
trash fish (79%). Low-valued species play the major part constituting
86% of the total trash catch, followed byjuveniles ofcommercially
important species (12%), while the non-edible species amount to
about 2% of the total trash. Economic species belong mainly to the
families: Mugilidae, Sciaenidae, Siganidae and Portunidae. Juveniles
in trash catch are represented by 28 species of commercially
importance belonging to 15 families. Further, trash catch includes
other 20 species representing 15 families. Gobius niger constitutes the
main bulk of the trash catch (61.8%), followed by Engraulis
encrasicolus (11.2%) and Oratosquilla massavensis (7.3%). Juveniles
of economic species are mainly represented by Liza ramada, Siganus
rivulatus and Lithognathus mormyrus. Restrictive constrictions must
be taken into consideration for forbidding completely the activities of
beach seine in the coastal waters which are considered as nursery
grounds.