Survey Results for Morocco: south Alboran Sea

            Introduction

A total of 72 hauls were carried out in June 1999 with R/V ‘Charif Al Idrissi’, of which 68 were valid (cf. the following calendar):

70 animal species were identified, represented by fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Some species like Myctophidae group, echinoderms, others molluscs and other invertebrate species were not identified.

The composition of the total catch in decreasing order showed a following scheme: fishes represented 65% of the total weight, cephalopods 17.5%, crustaceans 15% and others 2.5%.

The most frequent species in the total of hauls (in terms of presence/absence) were in decreasing order, Parapenaeus longirostris (it appeared in more than 40% of hauls), Phycis blennoides, Micromesistius poutassou, Galeus melastomus, Illex coindetii, Helicolenus dactylopterus, Merluccius merluccius, Octopus vulgaris, Pagellus acarne and Mullus sp.

Species had similar and homogeneous distribution in the western and eastern part of the area. The species of the reference list which presented high catch were in decreasing order: Micromesistius poutassou, Hoplostethus mediterraneus, Galeus melastomus, Pagellus acarne, Scyliorhinus canicula, Phycis blennoides, Octopus vulgaris and Illex coindetii. Most species have been caught in two sectors: from 5°19’ W to 3°55’W, and from 3°55’W to 2°13’W.

Some species of the reference list show very low abundance indices, essentially some crustaceans like, in decreasing order Aristeus antennatus and Stomatopods group, and fish: Lepidopus caudatus and Solea vulgaris.