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The status of the cartilaginous fish species in the Lebanese coastal waters

Conference Paper · November 2014

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 The Status of the Cartilaginous Fish Species in the Lebanese Coastal Waters

The status of the cartilaginous fish species in the Lebanese coastal waters
Myriam Lteif1,2,3, Gaby Khalaf1, Marion Jarraya2,3, Rita Mouawad1 and Philippe Lenfant2,3
1
National Center for Marine Sciences-CNRSL
2
Université de Perpignan Via Domitia - Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements
Méditerranéens (CEFREM) UMR 5110, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France
3
CNRS, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR
9 5110, 52 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France

SUMMARY

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better knowledge of cartilaginous fishes in the Lebanese coastal
waters, eastern Mediterranean. Emphasis was placed on various aspects of the ecology of these species and
fishing characteristics. In this study 225 specimens of cartilaginous fish were sampled by three different
manners: scientific survey, fisheries sampling and experimental fishing with fishermen. These specimens
caught included 25 cartilaginous fish species, 11 shark species and 14 batoid species. No chimeras were
sampled. The majority of the sharks sampled were Centrophorus granulosus, Galeus melastomus, Squalus
blainvillei, Mustelus mustelus and Carcharhinus obscurus. The majority of the batoids sampled were
Rhinobatos rhinobatos, Rhinobatos cemiculus, Torpedo marmorata, Torpedo nobiliana, Raja miraletus and
Raja clavata. These cartilaginous fish specimens were caught at depths ranging from 10 to 600 m majorly
using longlines, then trammel nets and the least were caught using gillnets. Moreover, 66.7% of all
individuals were observed at depths less than 150 m, 18.2% were observed at depths ranging from 150 to 400
m, and 10.6% were observed at depths ranging from 450 m to 600 m. In addition, demersal species, such as,
Raja clavata¸ Raja miraletus, Torpedo marmorata¸ and Torpedo nobiliana were principally caught by
trammel nets, whereas, Rhinobatos rhinobatos and Rhinobatos cemiculus were only caught by longlines, and
species such as Squatina oculata, Squatina aculeata, Mustelus mustelus, and Isurus oxyrhincus were only
caught by gillnets. Finally, the batoid species Rhinobatos rhinobatos and Rhinobatos cemiculus, the shark
species Hexanchus griseus, and sharks from the Carcharhinidae family showed high commercial significance
in Tripoli (northern of Lebanon) and in Sidon (southern of Lebanon).

Key words: cartilaginous fish, sharks, batoids, Lebanon, eastern Mediterranean

INTRODUCTION

The Mediterranean basin is known for its high biodiversity: nearly one third of the
Mediterranean fauna is endemic; in fact, the loss and destruction of habitats through the
development of coastal infrastructure, pollution, invasion of exotic species and
overexploitation has constituted high risk causes of species extinction in the Mediterranean
[1]. The Mediterranean Sea has been inhabited for a long time, and ecosystems have
changed in many ways. Thus, anthropogenic impacts are stronger in the Mediterranean than
in any other sea of the world [2]. The coasts hold a high density of inhabitants. More than
one percent of world landings come from Mediterranean fisheries and combined natural and
anthropogenic events shaped the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea in the past and will
continue to do so in the future [3]. The Mediterranean is known to hold a high diversity of
cartilaginous fish and many very important habitats are threatened nowadays. Over the last
200 years, the cartilaginous fishes of the Mediterranean have decreased and are in risk of
extinction if the pressure of fishing is maintained [4]. The Mediterranean Sea, is
characterized by a quite high diversity of elasmobranches species with 49 sharks and 36
rays species found in its waters [5], with three endemic species, among which one is
endemic threatened [6]. Bradai, et al. [5] stated that elasmobranches are considered as a
significant by-catch of commercial fisheries that target bony fishes, fisheries targeting
sharks are scarce; however, almost all specimen by-catch are marketed. Among 85 species
of cartilaginous fish known in the Mediterranean, 71 were assessed in the frame of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. More than 40% are
vulnerable and endangered to critically endangered [7]. Their low fecundity, late maturity
and slow growth rates make them vulnerable to fishing [8]. Thus, fishing activity exerted on
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 The Status of the Cartilaginous Fish Species in the Lebanese Coastal Waters

elasmobranch populations is responsible for the reduction of their abundance [9]. They can
be caught by diverse fishing methods although bottom trawling is considered responsible
for a large amount of elasmobranch by-catches and discards throughout the world [10].In
the Mediterranean Sea, elasmobranch catches represent 1.1% of the total landings [11].
Located in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, Lebanon is known for the richness of its littoral,
which extends along 220 km of coastline and has been a reference for the Mediterranean fishermen
for a long time. This reputation has slowly disappeared in the past years due to pollution and
questionable techniques [12]. The Lebanese fishery is artisanal and traditional [12, 13]. The most
common gear used includes trammel nets, longlines, ‘roundhaul’ nets and beach seines. Trawling is
legally forbidden although fishing nets with illegal mesh sizes are widely available in the black
market [13]. Only few vessels have a Global Positioning System (GPS), while the rest have very
limited navigational or safety equipment, with 20% of the vessels having small electronic fish
finders [12, 14]. The marine fisheries production in Lebanon from 2000 to 2010 was around 3,500
tons per year [15]. The majority of the fish caught are bony fish [12] and cartilaginous fish landings
are particularly low [13].
A lot of studies were performed on cartilaginous fish in the eastern Mediterranean with more than
100 papers ranging from the coast of Alexandria –Egypt in the South, passing through the coast of
Israel, Syria, Turkey and reaching the Adriatic Sea in the North [5], with an inventory established in
Syria in 2003 [16] reflecting the presence of cartilaginous fish species along these coasts.
No studies of these species were performed in Lebanon and along the Lebanese coastal waters;
however, cartilaginous fish species were mentioned in the inventory about fish in Lebanon and in
the eastern Mediterranean by field work performed between 1973 and 1983 [17]. This fact makes
this study one of its kind in Lebanon with emphasis on its importance in pointing out the
cartilaginous fish species in the Lebanese coastal waters by creating a recent inventory and
obtaining an estimation of the relative abundance and spatial distribution. This study provides a first
evaluation of the cartilaginous species diversity in this area.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area
The study area is located in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean in Lebanon. A total number of 35
ports are distributed along the Lebanese coast. The majority of these ports do not comply with the
technical conditions for the improved development of the sector whether with respect to equipment
or management. The largest fishing ports are distributed according to the governorates as follows:
Aabdeh, Tripoli and Batroun ports in the North, Dawra Port in Mount Lebanon, Ozaaii Port in
Beirut, and Tyr and Sidon Ports in the South [12].

Sampling
Throughout year 2013, from January until October 2013, data collection targeting all cartilaginous
species all along the Lebanese coast has been performed.
This data collection has been performed at random sites along the coast from North to South in three
different manners.
i. Data collection was aided by the CIHEAM PESCA-Libano project. This project assessed
the potentiality of the marine coastal resources in order to support the Lebanese
Government in strengthening the management of the marine resources with the involvement
of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Center for Marine Sciences – Lebanese
National Council for Scientific Research (CNRSL). In 2013, three types of gears were
lowered in 65 different sites along the coast of Lebanon and at depths ranging from 10 to
600 m. Gillnets with mesh sizes of 26, 30 and 40 mm were lowered at depths less than 100
m; trammel nets with mesh sizes of 22, 24, 26, and 28 mm were lowered at depths greater
than 100 m. Long lines were lowered at randomly specified depths.
ii. Data collection has also been performed by randomly hiring fishermen throughout the
Lebanese coast with the collaboration of the Lebanese National Council for Scientific

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 The Status of the Cartilaginous Fish Species in the Lebanese Coastal Waters

Research (CNRSL) - National Center for Marine Sciences - to lower longlines at depths
ranging from 30 to 600 m aiming to catch cartilaginous species.
iii. Data collection has also been performed through observation of major fisheries along the
Lebanese coast. The main fishery visited was a principal one in Tripoli where 52 specimens
were collected. Other fisheries were visited a minimum number of 5 times per month, and
data were collected when specimens were available.
The specimens collected by all three manners of collection were either identified and dissected on
the site of collection, whether on a port or in a fishery, or preserved in ice and brought to the
laboratories of the National Center for Marine Sciences in Batroun and placed in freezer to be later
treated.
In this study data where explored though barplot and boxplot. In the boxplot, the upper whisker
extends from the hinge to the highest value that is within 1.5 * IQR of the hinge, where IQR is the
inter-quartile range, or distance between the first and third quartiles. The lower whisker extends
from the hinge to the lowest value within 1.5 * IQR of the hinge.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A total of 225 specimens were collected during the sampling period; these specimens comprised 25
species, 11 sharks and 14 batoids. No chimaeras were collected. These findings correlate with these
obtained by Mouneimné [17] and Ali [16]. However, more species (39) were observed by the latter
due to the fact that more gears were employed, such as, trawlers that are legally prohibited in
Lebanon. Cartilaginous fish species were present all along the coast from Tripoli in the North to Tyr
in the South, which indicates a wide distribution of these fishes throughout the Lebanese coast.
The depths of distribution ranged between 0 and 600 m with the greatest number of individuals
observed at depths less than 50 m; individuals were observed at depths ranging from 100 to 250 m,
with fewer individuals at greater depths (600 m). No individuals were caught at depths ranging from
300 to 450 m (Figure 1). This can be attributed to the fact that the majority of the fishing operations
by longlines and gillnets were conducted at these depths.
In addition, more batoids were caught than sharks, where the majority of caught or observed species
were R. rhinobatos, R. miraletus, T. marmorata and R. cemiculus with a total of 42, 30, 22 and 21
individuals respectively. C. granulosus dominated the shark catches or observations with a total of
30 individuals. Nevertheless, some species, such as, S. aculeata, S. oculata, I. oxyrhincus, H.
griseus, D. tortonesei, G. melastomus and D. licha were only noted once (Figure 2).
100

87
80
Number of individuals

60

55
40

27
20

11 12 10 10
7
0 0 0 0
0

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Depth (m)

Figure 1: The number of individuals caught according to depth classes from 0 to 600 m in 2012-2013

Moreover, knowing that trawling is prohibited in Lebanon, the main gears used for fishing are
gillnets, trammel nets and longlines. Whether according to the CIHEAM PESCA-Libano project or
the expeditions performed by hired fishermen and the observations in fisheries, cartilaginous fish
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 The Status of the Cartilaginous Fish Species in the Lebanese Coastal Waters

were observed to be principally caught by longlines and then trammel nets; gillnet catches were the
least. This can be attributed to the fact that longlines are majorly used by the Lebanese artisanal
fishermen to catch demersal species, such as, R. rhinobatos and R. cemiculus (Figure 2) that are of
commercial importance in some of the fisheries in Lebanon.

40
Number of individuals

30

Gillnet
Longlines
20
Trammel Net

10

0
G. melastomus
D. marmorata
C. granulosus

D. oxyrinchus

T. marmorata
R. rhinobatos
D.oxyrinchus

R. cemiculus
I. oxyrhincus
D. pastinaca

D. tortonesei

M. mustelus

S. blainvillei
C. obscurus

R. miraletus

T. nobiliana
S. aculeata
P. violacea
G. altavela

P. bovinus

T. grabata
R. clavata

S. oculata
H. griseus

H. perlo
D. licha

Species
Figure 2: The number of individuals of each species caught by the different gears used in this study in
2012-2013

Furthermore, demersal species, such as, R. clavata¸ R. miraletus, T. marmorata¸ and T. nobiliana
were principally caught by trammel nets (Figure 2). This correlates with the findings in the Aegean
Sea where elasmobranchs (mainly Rajidea) represent 6% to 10% by weight of total catches of
trammel [18]. Moreover, monitoring of fisheries in the Balearic Islands shows the capture of 12
elasmobranch species (10 sharks and 2 rays) representing 10% in abundance and 28 % in biomass of
the total catch of trammel nets. The most common species were D. pastinaca, R. radula and T.
marmorata representing respectively 48%, 24% and 15% of catches of elasmobranchs [19].

Moreover, the gears that caught the larger individuals were longlines, then gillnets, and then
trammel nets; nevertheless, more individuals were caught using longlines, then trammel nets, and
then gillnets (Figure 3).

International Congress on "Estuaries and Coastal Marine Protected Areas" ECPA 2014 (İzmir - Turkey) Page 53
 The Status of the Cartilaginous Fish Species in the Lebanese Coastal Waters

Figure 3: A barplot (top) and boxplot (bottom) representing the number and total lengths, respectively,
of individuals caught by the different gears used in this study in 2012-2013 (For boxplot: black line in
box = median; points in box = mean for each gear; points outside box = outliers).

In addition, according the observation of fisheries, cartilaginous fish were majorly observed in the
fishery in Tripoli, where they were found to have an important economic value as they were bought
as food in that region. The same was observed in Sidon, southern Lebanon. However, in the utmost
south, Tyr, these fishes did not have a significant economic value. The species Rhinobatos
rhinobatos, Rhinobatos cemiculus, and Centrophorus granulosus and Carcharinus obscurus were
shown to have a great economic value in the fisheries in Lebanon, as they were shown to be sold in
large quantities as fish filets. Moreover, Taeniura grabata, Hexanchus griseus and Dasyatis sp.
were also observed, but with a less economic value.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by CANA-Project/CNRSL

CONCLUSION

This study is the first reflecting the actual presence of cartilaginous fish species along the Lebanese
coast. Moreover, this study also shows the exploitation of such species through by-catch or targeted
fishing. These fish species are exploited by longline fisheries; hence, laws should be implemented to
limit the fishing of cartilaginous fish. More studies should be performed dealing with the population
biology of the majorly exploited and endangered cartilaginous fish along the Lebanese coast in
order to apply management measures to prevent the vast exploitation of this fish group.

International Congress on "Estuaries and Coastal Marine Protected Areas" ECPA 2014 (İzmir - Turkey) Page 54

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