Yield-per-Recruit and Relative Mean Biomass Estimates, and their Management Consequences, to the Penaeus Indicus Fishery in the Gulf of Masirah

Abstract

The von Bertalanffy growth parameters estimated based on the 1990/91 carapace length data of Penaeus indicus  from the Gulf of Masirah, Oman were used to calculate total mortality, yield-per-recruit ( i.e. average weight of a shrimp from a cohort under a given fishing pattern) , and relative mean biomass ( i.e. exploited cohort biomass over un-exploited cohort biomass) for the population sampled. The instantaneous total mortality coefficient value indicated under exploitation in 1990/91. When different fishing seasons scenarios were considered with the current total mortality level but with a range of natural mortality values, high yield, per recruit and relative mean biomass values were shown for October-April and November-April fishing seasons. The fishing season is currently late August to end of April. Thus, a one to two-month delay in the fishing season appears to be beneficial to this fishery.