Composition and abundance of fish assemblage in Khor Al-Zubair lagoon, North West of Arabian Gulf

Abstract

The present study describes the fish assemblages in Khor Al-Zubair lagoon which was located in North West region of Arabian Gulf. The present research was carried out from August 2012 to July 2013 by using various nets. Two environmental factors viz., temperature and salinity were measured during the study period. The total number of individuals collected was 2964. The highest number (513) was recorded in August month and the lowest number (31) was observed in January. Thirty eight species belonging to 28 families of Osteichthyes and two species of Chondrichthyes (Aetobatus narinari and Chiloseyllium grisum) were collected in the region, Mastacemblus mastacembelus and Tilapia zillii were recorded for the first time. The highest number of species (19) was recorded in September while the lowest (8) was noticed in the February month. Three species viz., Thryssa whiteheadi, Liza klunzingeri and L. subviridis formed 43.65 % of the total fish catch. The overall value of diversity index (H), Eveness (D) and Richness (J) were 2.5, 3.4 and 0.8 respectively.