Distribution of silver pomfret ( Pampus argenteus) in Iraqi marine water

Abstract

The fishery and population characteristics of silver pomfret Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen) landed in basrah were studied for the period from 2005 to 2015. The average annual landing of Silver Pomfrets was about 68.273 tonnes, which contributed 2.04% to the annual marine fish landings in Iraq. The total catches of Silver Pomfrets have declined from 378.16 tonnes in 2012 to 27 tonnes in 2015.It is suggested that the fishery stocks of the northern Arabian Gulf are under ecological stress due to high fishing pressure, and to ecological changes in the area.Length frequency data collected suggested that the general size range of Silver pomfrets in Iraq is 65 to 320 mm total length. The size group (138- 208 mm) was the most fish size landed during the period of the study (59%). The landed Silver Pomfrets was dominated by male individuals (73.3%) with maximum size reached 270mm.