Categories
vol-5PRESENT SHRIMP POPULATION CONDITIONS
One can judge about the infauence of the Ni~ flow regulation on the
shrimp population of the Medi1Jerranean shelf of Egypt OI1l]y if ithere is comparat~ve information about the shrimp populla’tion before the 60-s when the
historically estaMilshed conditions were distrbed. AliI availlabile daita rdating
to this period are the officia:l statistical data of the Fishery Department of
Egypt aboult the lfuirnp yie:lds for the periods 1952-1963 and the resuLts
c.f casual investigat.ions of some areas of the shelf carried out by Ithe Alexandria
InSltitrulte of Hydrobiology and Fisheries (E1-Zarka and Koura, 1965). They
gave a generaJi idea about tlhe yieJd dynamics and furnished data about the
shrimp species composition.
Accordin glro these da’ta, during the period of 1952-1963 the shrilnp
fisheries were inteJlJslified as the number’ of fishing vessel increased and the
work was mechanized.
In 1930 only 30 motor boats were available in Egypt (Wimpenny, 1934).
In the p&iod of 1953-19963 their number increased to 346-667 (Ei]-,Zarka and
Kaura, 1965), which resul,ted in an increase of the shrimp catch size from
5 t 085.5 thousand cent. As ,the main item of the :shrimp fishery are: P. Penaeus which have short life cycle (1-2 years) retention of the maximum catlCh
level during several years 1962-1964 (TabIe 23) suggests high potentiality of
the local shoal, i.e. the favourable habitaltion conditionSi in the above period.
