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Looking at the Mediterranean in particular, we find that its production decreased during the ten years from 77,799 tonnes in 2011 to 49,896 tonnes in 2020, and the quantities produced by some common fish families of economic and nutritional importance also decreased. Especially benthic fish, which are of great importance, especially for residents of coastal cities in the Egyptian country, such as bourbon fish, whose production decreased from 4,124 tonnes in 2011 to only 549 tonnes in 2020, and shrimp production, whose production decreased from 10799 tonnes in 2011 to 5460 in 2020, which is equal to a decrease of 50 % roughly. A total of 572 European hake individuals were collected from commercial demersal trawl fisheries and analyzed to estimate the reproductive biology. The sex ratio M/F was 1:2.16, which means that females dominate the catch. European hake spawns all year round. However, the peak of the gonadosomatic index was in the winter season from November to March, which indicates the peak of the spawning season. Length at the first sexual maturity was estimated at 34.4 cm for females. All of the fish sampled were in the third and fourth stages of maturity. The total length ranged from 17 cm to 69 cm, with an average length of 32.7 cm for all samples.

Fisheries contribute 16.25% to the agricultural national income according to the statistics of the General Authority for Fish Resources Development (2020). Most studies have attributed the deterioration and gradual decline in fish production from its natural sources in Egypt to the inadequacy of current management plans for fisheries. Despite the increase in production from 270 tons in 2017 to 455 tons in 2020, this is an indication of an increase in the fishing effort on these fish. This study targeted the urgent need to find an integrated study that presents some of the main objectives for decision-makers to set controls. The composition and structure of the fish stocks were analyzed in terms of the analyzes of the frequency distribution of lengths, the longitudinal and age structure, natural and total mortality rates resulting from fishing operations for each length and each age stage, survival rates, age and length at the first catch. There is a very high case of overfishing of this species in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters. The fish stock of Merluccius merluccius is overexploited and needs a management plan to conserve the fisheries. There is an urgent need to increase the biomass of brood stock to achieve sustainability.