Abstract
On the western shore of the semi-enclosed coral-reef rich Red Sea, the 850 km coastline of the Red Sea State of the Republic of Sudan provides livelihoods to artisanal fishers, but the present state of the living natural resources and the impact of fisheries are poorly known. To provide a baseline on the biodiversity and fish abundance three fisheries research surveys spanning the entire Sudanese coast were carried out in 2012−13 designed around the seven Sudanese fisheries management areas. Baited traps and gillnets were employed to sample the various reef habitats and fish assemblages from inshore to deeper outer reef archipelagos. The highest species richness, functional diversity, as well and the highest catch rates with both traps and gillnets were observed in the protected Dungonab Bay area in the north, while the management area closest to the main population center along the coast – Port Sudan – showed the lowest levels of biodiversity and catch rates. The Dungonab bay area and adjacent northern areas therefore seem more pristine than areas closer to the main human population center. Thus the present study has provides a necessary knowledge baseline and highlights the opportunity for establishing effective ecosystem-based management before the resources and habitats are irreversibly impacted.
Highlights
With its semi-enclosed location, the waters of the Red Sea are warmer and more saline than many other marine tropical ecosystems (Ngugi et al, 2012; Raitsos et al, 2015; Roberts et al, 2016)
Variability of catch composition by trophic group, area, survey and depth category of traps was further explored using Principal Component Analysis of the average CPUE-byweight per area and survey
Taken together the results from these four General Additive Models (GAM) models indicate a significant influence of surveys on CPUE, while the observed variability between areas was only significant for the CPUE-by-numbers and for a few areas
Summary
With its semi-enclosed location, the waters of the Red Sea are warmer and more saline than many other marine tropical ecosystems (Ngugi et al, 2012; Raitsos et al, 2015; Roberts et al, 2016). The Red Sea coral reef ecosystems are understudied compared to other extensive coral reef systems (Berumen et al, 2013). Coker et al, 2018; Nanninga et al, 2014; Roberts et al., 2016), have received most of the scientific attention, while investigations of the Sudanese Red Sea coast are scarcer (Bamber, 1915; Edwards and Rosewell, 1981; Kattan et al, 2017; Spaet et al, 2016) Arabia (e.g. Coker et al, 2018; Nanninga et al, 2014; Roberts et al., 2016), have received most of the scientific attention, while investigations of the Sudanese Red Sea coast are scarcer (Bamber, 1915; Edwards and Rosewell, 1981; Kattan et al, 2017; Spaet et al, 2016)
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