Population Structure, Exploitation Status, and Prospects of Brown Meagre Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758 From the Turkish Coast of the Black Sea

Abstract

The brown meagre (Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758) population has experienced dramatic population declines, and it was regionally assessed as “Near Threatened” in the Mediterranean. In this study, the current status of brown meagre populations in the Black Sea was evaluated by estimating growth and mortality rates based on age readings from the otolith. All specimens were collected by commercial trammel nets between March 2019 and February 2020 in the Turkish coast of the Black Sea. A total of 324 brown meagre were sampled during the study period, ranging in age from 0 to 26. The peak spawning season of the species was from June to July. The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters of (L∞ = 54.15, k = 0.14 yr-1, t0 = -3.11) supports previous studies and suggests that brown meagre is a long-lived and slow-growing species. The exploitation ratio of 0.53 for females and 0.47 for males. Life-history features and mortalities indicate that the brown meagre has relatively high fertility but may be undefended to intense fishing pressure. However, the impact of overfishing, pollution and climate change can have increasingly detrimental effects on the overall population size of this population.

Keywords

• Sciaenidae
• Fisheries
• Growth
• Mortality
• Exploitation ratio

References

1. Artüz, M. L. (2006). Abundance and growth observations of Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758 in Sea of Marmara. Hidrobiologica, 1, 124-128.
2. Avşar, D. (2005). Balıkçılık Biyolojisi ve Popülasyon Dinamiği. Baki Kitabevi (in Turkish).
3. Aydın, M., & Bengil, E. G. T. (2020). Feeding habits and length-weight relationships Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758 from Southern Black Sea. Acta Aquatica Turcica, 16, 479-486. https://doi.org/10.22392/actaquatr.714094
4. Aydın, M., & Bodur, B. (2021). Morphologic characteristics and length-weight relationships of Sciaena umbra (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Black Sea coast. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, 10(1), 8-15. https://doi.org/10.33714/masteb.738661
5. Aydın, M., Karadurmuş, U., & Kontaş, S. (2015). Ecosystem effects of the commercial scorpion-fish nets used in Ordu region. Turkish Journal of Maritime and Marine Sciences, 1, 61-68.
6. Bagenal, T. B. (1978). Methods for Assessment of Fish Production in Fresh Waters. 3rd ed. Blackwell Scientific Publication.
7. Bagenal, T. B., & Braum, E. (1978). Eggs and early life history. In Bagenal, T. (Ed.), Methods for Assessment of Fish Production in Fresh Waters, IBP Handbook (pp. 166-178). 3rd ed. Blackwell Scientific Publication.
8. Beamish, R. J., & Fournier, D. A. (1981). A method for comparing the precision of a set of age determinations. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 38, 982-983. https://doi.org/10.1139/f81-132

9. Beverton, R. J. H., & Holt, S. J. (1957). On the dynamics of exploited fish populations. Fishery investigations. Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food. Great Britain, UK.
10. Bilge, G., Yapıcı, S., Filiz, H., & Cerim, H. (2014). Weight-length relations for 103 fish species from the Southern Aegean Sea, Turkey. Acta Ichthyologica Et Piscatoria, 44, 263-269. https://doi.org/10.3750/AIP2014.44.3.11
11. Campana, S. E. (2001). Accuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods. Journal of Fish Biology, 59, 197-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb00127.x
12. Carlander, K. D. (1969). Handbook of Freshwater Fishery Biology. The Iowa State University Press.
13. Chakroun-Marzouk, N., & Ktari, M. H. (2003). Le Corb des côtes tunisiennes, Sciaena umbra (Sciaenidae): Cycle sexuel, âge et croissance. Cybium, 27, 211-225 (in French).
14. Chao, L. (2020). Sciaena umbra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T198707A130230194. Retrieved on April 12, 2022 from https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T198707A130230194.en
15. Chao, L. N., & Trewavas, E. (1990). Sciaenidae. In Quéro, J. C., Hureau, J. C., Karrer, C., Post, A., & Saldanha, L. (Eds.), Check-List of the Fishes the Eastern Tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA) (pp. 813-826). SEI and UNESCO.
16. Chapman, D. G., & Robson, D. S. (1960). The analysis of a catch curve. Biometrics, 16, 354-368. https://doi.org/10.2307/2527687
17. Chater, I., Romdhani-Dhahri, A., Dufour, J. L., Mahé, K., & Chakroun-Marzouk, N. (2018). Age, growth and mortality of Sciaena umbra (Sciaenidae) in the Gulf of Tunis. Scientia Marina, 82, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04679.21A
18. Chauvet, C. (1991). Le corb ou brown meagre (Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758) quelques éléments de sa biologie. In Boudouresque, C. F., Avon, M., & Gravez, V. (Eds), Les espèces marines à protéger en Méditerranée (pp. 229-235). GIS Posidonie Publisher (in French).
19. Directorate General of Fisheries and Aquaculture, (2020). 5/1 Fisheries notification (No: 2020/20). RG: 22.08.2020, No:31221.
20. Düzgüneş, O., Kesici, T., & Gürbüz, F. (1983). İstatistik Metodları I. Ankara University Agriculture Faculty Press (in Turkish).
21. Engin, S., & Seyhan, K. (2009). Age, growth, sexual maturity and food composition of Sciaena umbra in the south-eastern Black Sea, Turkey. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 25, 96-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2008.01173.x
22. Ergin, O., Tümer, S., & Yıldız, S. (2017). Chemical analysis of brown meager (Sciaena umbra) cephalides and traditional medicinal usage in urolithiasis. Medical Journal of Süleyman Demirel University, 24, 1-7.
23. FAO. (2019). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Fishery information, data and statistics unit, Global Capture Production 1976-2019, FishStat Plus Universal Software for fishery statistical time series. Rome, Italy: FAO.
24. Frimodt, C. (1995). Multilingual illustrated guide to the world’s commercial coldwater fish. Osney Mead.
25. Froese, R., & Pauly, D. (Eds.) (2022). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. Retrieved on May 10, 2022 from http://www.fishbase.org
26. Grau, A., Linde, M., & Grau, A. M. (2009). Reproductive biology of the vulnerable species Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758 (Pisces: Sciaenidae). Scientia Marina, 73, 67-81. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2009.73n1067
27. Harmelin, J. G. (1991). Statut du Corb (Sciaena umbra) en Méditerranée. In Boudouresque, C. F., Avon, M., & Gravez, V. (Eds.). Les espèces marines à protéger en Méditerranée (pp. 219-227). GIS Posidonie Publisher (in French).
28. Jakobsen, T., Fogarty, M., Megrey, A. B., & Monksness, E. (2009). Fish Reproductive Biology: Implications for Assessment and Management. Wiley-Blackwell.
29. Karakulak, F. S., Erk, H., & Bilgin, B. (2006). Length-weight relationships for 47 coastal fish species from the northern Aegean Sea, Turkey. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 22, 274-278. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2006.00736.x
30. La Mesa, M., Colella, S., Giannetti, G., & Arneri, E. (2008). Age and growth of brown meagre Sciaena umbra (Sciaenidae) in the Adriatic Sea. Aquatic Living Resources, 21, 153-161. https://doi.org/10.1051/alr:2008029
31. Le Cren, E. D. (1951). The length-weight relationship and seasonal cycle in gonad weight and condition in perch (Perca fluviatilis). Journal of Animal Ecology, 20, 201-219. https://doi.org/10.2307/1540
32. Morat, F., Marschal, C., Dominici, J. M., & Harmelin-Vivien, M. (2017). A 31-year-old brown meagre female poached in the Scandola marine reserve in Corsica, France. Cybium, 41, 79-80. https://doi.org/10.26028/cybium/2017-411-011
33. Morey, G., Moranta, J., Massutí, E., Grau, A. M., Linde, M., Riera, F., & Morales-Nin, B. (2003). Weight–length relationships of littoral to lower slope fishes from the western Mediterranean. Fisheries Research, 62, 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-7836(02)00250-3
34. Mouine-Oueslati, N., Ahlem, R., Ines, C., Ktari M., & Chakroun-Marzouk, N. (2015). Age and growth of Spondyliosoma cantharus (Sparidae) in the Gulf of Tunis. Scientia Marina, 79, 319-324.
35. Murua, H., Kraus, G., Saborido-Rey, F., Witthames, P. R., Thorsen, A., & Junquera, S. (2003). Procedures to estimate fecundity of marine fish species in relation to their reproductive strategy. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, 33, 33-54. https://doi.org/10.2960/J.v33.a3
36. Patterson, K. (1992). Fisheries for small pelagic species: an empirical approach to management targets. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2, 321-338. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00043521
37. Pauly, D. (1980). On the interrelationships between natural mortality, growth parameters and mean environmental temperature in 175 fish stocks. Journal du Conseil international pour l’Exploration de la Mer, 39, 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/39.2.175
38. Pauly, D. (1983). Some simple methods for the assessment of tropical fish stock. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper, 234, 1-52.
39. Pauly, D., & Munro, J. L. (1984). Once more on the comparison of growth in fish and invertebrates. ICLARM Fishbyte, 2, 21.
40. Ragonese, S., Gancitano, S., Camilleri, M., & Levi, D. (2004). An integrate analysis of size at age data of Sciaena umbra L. 1758 (Osteichthyes, Sciaenidae) of the central Mediterranean Sea. Biologia Marina Mediterranea, 11, 612-616.
41. Secor, D. H., Dean, J. M., & Laban, E. H. (1992). Otolith removal and preparation for microstructural examination. In Stevenson, D. K., & Campana, S. E. (Eds.), Otolith Microstructure Examination and Analysis (pp. 19-57). Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
42. Tuck, I., Chapman, C. J., & Atkinson, R. J. A. (1997). Population biology of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) in the firth of Clyde, Scotland-I: Growth and density. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 54, 125-135. https://doi.org/10.1006/jmsc.1996.0179
43. Ujjania, N. C., Kohli, M. P. S., & Sharma, L. L. (2012). Length-weight relationship and condition factors of Indian major carps (Catla catla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala) in Mahi Bajaj Sagar, India. Research Journal of Biology, 2, 30-36.
44. West, G. (1990). Methods of assessing ovarian development in fishes: a review. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 41, 199-222. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9900199
45. Zar, J. H. (1999). Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice Hall.