Catch per unit area of Batoid fishes in the Northern Oman Sea

We report on results of a trawl survey to assess the abundance of Batoid fish resources in the Oman Sea. The catch per unit area CPUA as the main index was estimated. The objectives of this study were to determine the catch composition and distribution pattern of Batoid fishes in the study area and in different depth strata of the Oman Sea.A total of ۸۲stations were randomly selected ۲۰۱۲. The comparison between ۵ strata indicated that, the highest CPUA was found for strata E, Beris to Gowatr (۲۷۱۲.۵۶ kg / nm۲) and C, Gordim to Konarak (۲۰۷۹.۱۷ kg / nm۲) and the lowest one was found in stratum B, Darak to Tang (۲۷.۱۱ kg / nm۲). Also the comparison of mean CPUA in different depth-layers revealed that the mean CPUA has a descending trend with increasing of depth, in which the CPUA values in depth layer ۱۰-۲۰ m were ۱۰۱.۳۸ times more than depth layer ۵۰-۱۰۰m.

Keywords:

Batoids fishes , CPUA , Distribution , Oman Sea