Assessment the Fisheries Status of the European Hake Merluccius Merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) Stock in the Egyptian Water of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

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.