Population Dynamics and Stock Status of the Round Sardinella (Sardinella aurita, Valenciennes, 1847) in the Coastal Waters of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

Abstract

This work was carried out to fill for a short time the lack of available data on the dynamic of Sardinella aurita within Côte d’Ivoire’s coastal waters. A total of 2000 samples of S. aurita were collected from May 2022 to April 2023, measured for total lengths and examined using FiSAT II. The asymptotic length (L∞) and growth rate (K) were 31.50 cm and 0.78 year-1 respectively implying that this species is a fast-growing and a shot live species. The lengths at first maturity and first capture were estimated at 18.49 cm and 23.42 cm respectively. The natural mortality rate (M=1.49 year-1) was higher than the fishing mortality rate (F=0.61year-1). The recruitment trend was continuous throughout the year with two major peaks showing the presence of strong recruitment into the stock. However, the exploitation rate (E=0.29) was lower than the 0.5. Furthermore, using the Quadrant rule, the investigated stock was categorized as underexploited. However, the current exploitation rate is higher than E0.5 inviting us to be more careful and to take appropriate measures.