Demographic structure and stock status of Lethrinus lentjan in Saudi coastal waters of the Red Sea

Abstract

Fishes of the family Lethrinidae form a considerable portion of the catch from both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, and the species Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepède, 1802) is one of the most important among these fishes. This study was conducted to evaluate the demographic structure coefficients, survival rate, and stock status of L. lentjan from the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. A total of 593 samples were collected on a monthly basis for a period of one year from the landing site for fishing boats operating in Red Sea waters off Jeddah. The results indicated that 88.87% of the specimens were female; the maximum total length recorded was 43.5 cm with the most frequent length (14.67%) being 23–23.9 cm. The maximum age recorded for both males and females was 6 year-plus, and the 1 year-plus age category represented the majority of the samples (57.67%). The total mortality coefficient, natural mortality coefficient, and fishing mortality coefficient were 1.538, 0.315, and 1.223, respectively; all mortality coefficients in the female fishes were higher than those in the male fishes. The survival rate of males was higher (0.617) than that of females (0.214). The results of the present study indicate that L. lentjan is subjected to overfishing and a new management strategy is necessary to improve the stock status of this fish species.

Significant metal buildup within the organs of Lethrinus sp. and Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål 1775) from Kao Bay waters, Indonesia

“…Lethrinids, also known as the emperor fish family (Emperors), are coastal fish found mainly on or near coral reefs [2]. L. lentjan was found to migrate throughout its life including to mangroves and seagrasses as juveniles before migrating authentically to coral reefs as adults [3].…”