Trend of Hilsa Shad, Tenualosa ilisha Fishery in Iraqi Marine Waters Northwest Arabian Gulf

Abstract

The trend of Hilsa shad Tenualosa ilisha fishery for the artisanal sector in the Iraqi marine water, Northwest of the Arabian Gulf was described for the period from November 2012 to October 2013. The data on shad landing, interviews and a questionnaire for the fishermen as well as demo fishing were attained. Shad landings varied from 4t in February to 95t in April. Shad amounts formed 11.44% of the total catch Shad landing correlated negatively with salinity of water. The catch per unit of effort of shad for fishermen who was involved in the questionnaire ranged between 1.3-5.1 kg/h/1000m to 0.02-3.42 kg/h/1000m for demo fishing. There are several reasons behind the proposed reduction in shad landings in recent years, including the decline in discharges of Shatt Al-Arab River, overfishing and no regulations to protect and manage marine resources