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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1515753
This article is part of the Research Topic Fishery and aquaculture interdisciplinary integration to improve sustainable seafood production View all articles

Population Dynamics and Seasonal Variation in Biological Characteristics of Black Sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) in Zhanjiang Coastal Waters, China

Provisionally accepted
Hagai Nsobi Lauden Hagai Nsobi Lauden Shaoliang Lyu Shaoliang Lyu *Alma Alfatat Alma Alfatat *Happiness Moses Mwemi Happiness Moses Mwemi Ning Chen Ning Chen *Xuefeng Wang Xuefeng Wang *
  • College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examined the population dynamics and seasonal variation (winter-summer) in the biological characteristics of black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) in Zhanjiang coastal waters, China. Key growth parameters were estimated using the von Bertalanffy growth model, revealing an asymptotic length (L∞) of 505.05 mm and a growth coefficient (K) of 0.26 year⁻¹, with an estimated longevity of 11.24 years. Mortality analysis showed a total mortality rate (Z) of 0.35 year⁻¹, primarily driven by natural causes (M = 0.33 year⁻¹) with minimal fishing impact (F = 0.02 year⁻¹), resulting in a low exploitation rate (E) of 0.05. Length-weight relationship (LWR) analysis indicated positive allometric growth in females and nearly isometric growth in males, with significant seasonal variations in condition factors (K). Yield Per Recruit (YPR) analysis identified a maximum sustainable exploitation rate (Emax) of 0.421, with a conservative management approach suggested at E0.1 = 0.355. Seasonal variations in reproductive indices, with higher Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) and Hepatosomatic Index (HSI) in winter, highlight the species' reproductive cycle. The findings suggest that Acanthopagrus schlegelii is stable, with low fishing pressure. Seasonal GSI and HSI variations suggest fisheries management should time fishing to reduce impacts on reproductive success. Maintaining exploitation rates below E max is essential for sustainable management, contributing valuable insights for fisheries conservation in coastal China.

    Keywords: Acanthopagrus schlegelii, Condition factors, Exploitation rate, gonadosomatic index, Hepatosomatic index, Reproductive indices, Zhanjiang coastal waters

    Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lauden, Lyu, Alfatat, Mwemi, Chen and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shaoliang Lyu, College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, Guangdong Province, China
    Alma Alfatat, College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, Guangdong Province, China
    Ning Chen, College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, Guangdong Province, China
    Xuefeng Wang, College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, Guangdong Province, China

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