A Seasonal Comparison of Population Parameters for Mullus barbatus L., 1758 from Trawl and Small-Scale Fishing Sites from Southern Türkiye (Northeastern Mediterranean)

This study examines the abundance, biomass and total length (TL) of Mullus barbatus from small-scale and industrial (trawl) fishing sites from the Gulf of Antalya using bottom trawl hauls over a one year period. 116 hauls were sampled between 25 and 200 m in depth. The overall mean abundance and biomass were 8361.03 individual/km2 and 299.75 kg/km2, respectively. The maximum TL was 25.7 cm, the minimum TL was 6 cm, and mean TL was 13.59 cm. The abundances and biomass of Mullus barbatus from small-scale fishing sites were higher than the bottom trawling sites, which may likely be due to higher fishing pressure. The highest abundance and biomass were found at 50 m depth, decreasing with increasing depth, and the lowest values were found in summer, then increased through autumn and winter. The highest percentage of the smallest size class of fish (6.0-8.4 cm) was found in summer and the highest percentage of the largest size class (21.0-25.9 cm) of fish were found in winter. The mean total length of 14.3 cm for Mullus barbatus in small-scale fishing sites, whereas in trawl sites, it decreased to 12.1 cm. From these findings, we advise that Mullus barbatus should be caught with small-scale fishing gear types such as gillnets and trammel nets, which are better for the stock's health.