Schaffmeister, B.E. (2002) The Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania, as nursery for shrimps. Master's Thesis / Essay, Biology.
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Abstract
The Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania is an area characterised by shallow waters with extensive seagrass beds and tidal flats. This Mauritanian shelf acts as a source of exploitable stocks of shrimps for one of the most important fishery areas of the world. The relationship between these stocks and the nursery areas is important for the management of Mauritanian marine living resources. The aim of this study is to determine the role of the Banc d'Arguin tidal flats as a nursery area for shrimps. This has been investigated by sampling during high and low tide in the Baie d'Aouatif with a push-net (171 m2 intertidal; ponds, seagrass beds and bare substrates) and a beamtrawl (5552 m2 intertidal and 629 m2 subtidal; Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltii) from January until March 2002. In total eleven species (9349 specimens) of the infraorders Caridea and Penaeidea were found, of which the most abundant were Palaemon elegans (2978), Hippolyte longirostris (2598), H. inermis (2952 in subtidal) and Penaeus sp. (504; P. kerathurus & P. notialis). Penaeus sp. are commercially very important. Extrapolation of estimated Penaeus sp. densities to the total area of the Banc d'Arguin gives, if the specimens reach adulthood, a minimal harvest for the Mauritanian fishery of 772-1158 tonnes. These numbers are based on densities found from January till March. Other species caught were Athanas nitescens (24), Leander tenuicornis (29), Palaemon adspersus (78), Pontophilus fasciatus (76), Sicyonia carinata (109) and Processa edulis subsp. crassipes (1). For some species tidal influences, habitatpreferences and population structure in the period studied could be indicated. High percentages of specimens with eggs (>50 % for egg carrying size classes) were found for five species of caridean shrimps. Ten of eleven species caught were also found in juvenile form. The results of this study combined with other studies indicate that the Banc d'Arguin plays an important role as nursery for shrimps.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
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| Degree programme: | Biology |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Feb 2018 07:31 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2018 07:31 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/9167 |
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