Adib Saad

First records of the Honeycomb Stingray, Himantura uarnak (Forskål, 1775), off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean) (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae)

The Honeycomb Stingray, Himantura uarnak (Forskål, 1775) is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, is common on the continental shelf of northern Australia, and is reported off south-eastern Africa (LAST & STEVENS 1994). It is also found in the Red Sea, from where it has recently expanded to the eastern Mediterranean (GOLANI et al. 2002). It has been reported from the Levantine Basin (BEN-TUVIA 1955, 1966, MOUNEIMNE 1977, EL SAYED 1994) and from off Turkey (BEN-TUVIA 1966, BASUTA et al. 1988). We can add here a record from Syrian waters, from where it was hitherto not known. Through surveys conducted off the Syrian coast from 2000 to date, 22 shark species and 17 batoid species were identified (SAAD et al. 2005). During these surveys we also recorded three Honeycomb Stingrays. Identification was made from MCEACHRAN & CAPAPÉ (1984), LAST & STEVENS (1994) and GOLANI et al. (2002). The first specimen was a female caught on 24 April 2008, by pelagic longline, on a sandy bottom at 5-10m depth, off southern Syria; the capture site (34°53’N, 35°53’E) was 25 km south-west of Tartous. The specimen had a disc width of 1486 mm and a weight of 150 kg. The second specimen was a male caught on 19 May 2008 by bait hook, on a sandy bottom at

First records of barracudina Sudis hyalina (Osteichthyes: Paralepididae) off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean)

Records of 9 barracudinas Sudis hyalina Rafinesque, 1810 off the Syrian coast are reported in this note, constituting the first records in the area and confirming the eastern extension range of the species in the Mediterranean. The occurrence of the species is commented and discussed, in the region where a sustainable population is probably established.

Maturity, reproductive cycle, and fecundity of spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Gymnuridae), from the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean)

* Correspondence: Dr Christian Capape. Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, case 104, Universite Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 5, France, phone +33467544162, e-mail (CC) capape@univ-montp2.fr, (HA) alkusairyhasan@gmail.com, (MA) malekali@scs-net.org (AS) adibsaad52@gmail.com, (CR) reynaud@univ-montp2.fr. MATURITY, REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE, AND FECUNDITY OF SPINY BUTTERFLY RAY, GYMNURA ALTAVELA (ELASMOBRANCHII: RAJIFORMES: GYMNURIDAE), FROM THE COAST OF SYRIA (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN)

Reconstruction of Syria’s fisheries catches from 1950–2010:signs of overexploitation

Background. The global community infers trends in fi sheries through the catch data assembled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) from its member countries. Thus, inferences depend on the quality of the member country data, and hence their national data collection systems. Syria’s national catch data are assembled from market assessments (market sales) from a subset of fi sh markets, therefore exclude non-commercial landings and direct sales that by-pass markets. Furthermore, discards are also not accounted for. Our goal was to provide comprehensive estimates of Syrian marine catches for 1950–2010 by fi shing sectors plus major discards, using a catch reconstruction approach. Materials and methods. Catches were estimated from 1950–2010, by industrial (large-scale commercial), artisanal (small-scale commercial), recreational (small-scale non-commercial), and subsistence (small-scale non-commercial) sectors, plus major discards. We reviewed published literature, grey literature, and unpublished data from local experts to obtain a fi rst comprehensive estimate of total Syrian catches (landings + discards). Results. The reconstructed catch for 1950–2010 (including reported data) is nearly 170 000 t, which is 78% more than Syria reports to the FAO. By 2010, reconstructed catch was over 2 times the reported data. The reconstruction added 74 000 t of unreported catches, consisting of 38 600 t of artisanal-, 16 000 t of industrial-, 4000 t of recreational-, and 3000 t of subsistence catches, plus around 12 000 t of discards. Syrian fi sheries are dominated by the artisanal sector (67% of total catch, including discards), while industrial, recreational and subsistence catches account for 29%, 3%, and 2%, respectively. Discards accounted for 7% of total catch. Conclusion. Our reconstructed catch estimates for Syria provide a comprehensive account of total removals by Syria for 1950–2010. This study also supports other observations that the state of the fi sheries is declining due to overexploitation, as suggested by the observed increase in fi shing effort, declining CPUE and the amount of juvenile fi sh in catches. More effective management measures are needed to ensure Syrians can benefi t more from their local fi sheries.

First record of nakedband gaper Champsodon nudivittis (Osteichthyes: Champsodontidae) off the Syrian Coast (Eastern Mediterranean)

This paper reports the first record of nakedband gaper Champsodon nudivittis from the Syrian coast. This record confirms the occurrence of the species in the Levant Basin and its eastern extension range in he Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, this additional capture of C. nudivittis in the eastern Mediterranean supports that a sustainable population is at present probably established in the same Mediterranean region.

First record of Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali (Osteichthyes: Mullidae) from the Syrian coast (Eastern Mediterranean)

This paper reports the first record of Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir and Guézé, 1976) from the Syrian coast. This record confirms the occurrence of the species in the Levant Basin. However, no sufficient data were carried out to date to support that a population is at present substantially established in the same area.

Occurrence of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes: Cetorhinidae), off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean) with first description of egg case

The authors report in this paper the first record of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765), off the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean). The specimen was an adult female, 690 cm total length and weighing approximately 2.5 t. It was a pregnant female at the beginning of gestation and contained 34 egg cases. The first description of C. maximus egg case is provided with short comments on the reproductive biology of the species.

Some morphological and biological aspects of longnosed skate, Dipturus oxyrinchus (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Rajidae), in Syrian marine waters (eastern Mediterranean)

Background. Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a common skate in Syrian elasmobranch fishery. This species is listed as an Endangered cartilaginous species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Although heavily exploited, until now, no study has been performed on this skate along the Syrian coast in the Levantine basin. This study focuses on the determination of the reproductive period, size at maturity and fecundity of D. oxyrhinchus. Materials and methods. Total length and total weight were determined for 249 specimens of the longnosed skate, captured off Syrian coast. Skates collected were measured and weighed according to standard procedures. Based on the acquired measurements the following relations were determined: disc width–total weight (DW–TW), total weight–total length (TW–TL), total weight–disc width (TW–DW), and total length–disc width (TL–DW). Median size (TL50) at maturity was estimated according to commonly accepted methods. Hepatosomatic index (HSI) and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were calculated for males and females. The proportion of the occurrence of developmental stages were noted seasonally. Ovarian fecundity was calculated based on ripe follicles in both ovaries of mature females. Fecundity, expressed as annual egg production per female. Tests for significance (P < 0.05) were performed by using ANOVA, Student t-test, and the chi-square test. In the relations TW–TL and TW–DW, comparisons of curves were carried out by using ANCOVA Results. The observed sex ratio was 58.2% ÷ 40.2% (female ÷ male). Mean body measurements of females (n = 14) were slightly higher than males (n = 8). The total length of females ranged from 34.1 to 100.0 cm and males from 34.5 to 81.6 cm. The total length–total weight, disc width–total weight, and total length–disc width relations were TW = 0.0009TL3.35 and TW = 0.0033DW3.34and DW = 0.6894TL + 0.281, respectively, for all sexes combined. Median size (TL50) at maturity were estimated as TL50 = 79.5 cm for females (n = 149) and TL50 = 70.9 cm for males (n = 100). This species had a continuous reproductive cycle. Fecundity was estimated between 50 and 100 egg cases per year. Conclusion. Information on the reproduction of D. oxyrinchus may allow the decision makers to set appropriate catch limits based on biological reference points, and serves as a baseline in the event of increasing exploitation rates. Especially, this information showed that a possible nursery area maybe established in the Syrian marine waters.

First record of Klein’s sole Synapturichthys kleinii (Osteichthyes: Soleidae) off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean)

This paper reports the first record of Klein’s sole Synapturichthys kleinii (Risso, 1827) from the Syrian coast. This record confirms the occurrence of the species in the Levant Basin and its eastern extension range in the Mediterranean Sea. However, this single capture of S. kleinii cannot support that a sustainable population is at present substantially established in the same area.