Investigating Freshwater Mullet Fisheries in Tunisian Reservoirs: Future Development Prospects

Mullet is the most heavily fished species in Tunisia, accounting for one-third of the freshwater fish harvest. To ensure the continuity and development of fisheries in the country, Tunisian reservoirs have been stocked with Mugilidae fry collected from coastal and estuarine areas. The quantities of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water (Basel) 2023-07, Vol.15 (14), p.2554
Main Authors: Mili, Sami, Ennouri, Rym, Fatnassi, Manel, Agrebi, Siwar, Louiz, Ibtissem, Khattab, Yassir, Hedfi, Amor, Ben Ali, Manel, Laouar, Houcine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquaculture
Aquaculture industry
Collaboration
Commercial fishing
Cooperation
estuaries
Fish
Fish industry
Fisheries
Fishing equipment
Fresh water
freshwater
freshwater fish
gillnets
Investigations
Mariculture
Mugilidae
mullet
Reservoirs
Sampling techniques
Sport fishing
surveys
sustainable development
Tunisia
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mullet is the most heavily fished species in Tunisia, accounting for one-third of the freshwater fish harvest. To ensure the continuity and development of fisheries in the country, Tunisian reservoirs have been stocked with Mugilidae fry collected from coastal and estuarine areas. The quantities of fry introduced and mullet landings were correlated. To determine the spatial distribution and abundance of mullets in these fisheries, a multi-mesh gillnet was used in 10 reservoirs. The results showed a weak global correlation between the fry introduced and mullet landings, while the correlation of these variables in each reservoir separately revealed a high correlation in all the reservoirs, except for Ghezala reservoir. The fishing survey revealed that the numerical yield varied significantly from one reservoir to another. Sidi Saad reservoir recorded the highest yield of mullet (196.52 fish/1000 m2 of nets), while a lower yield was recorded in Lahjar, Seliana, Mellegue, Laabid, Ghezala, Bezirekh, Bouheurtma, Sidi Salem, and Sidi Barrak reservoirs. The harvested mullets’ sizes ranged from 14 to 65 cm, indicating good growth conditions in the Tunisian reservoirs. Our findings demonstrate a high potential for mullet production in the country; therefore, we recommend the sustainable development of this sector.
ISSN:2073-4441
2073-4441
DOI:10.3390/w15142554