stock status of sardina pilchardus (walbaum, 1792) in the alboran sea: a case study of ghazaouet fishery, algeria

The european pilchard (sardina pilchardus) plays a crucial role along the algerian coast, forming a significant part of the local fisheries industry. however, overfishing has resulted in a decline in their population, which has had adverse effects on the fishery sector. this study was conducted to evaluate the current mortality rate and exploitation rate of the sardine s. pilchardus and investigate its growth and length-weight relationship along the ghazaouet coast. a sample of 1576 specimens was collected from commercial purse seine catches on the western algerian coast (ghazaouet fishing grounds). the total length (tl) of the specimens ranged from 9.6 to 21.4 cm with an average of 14.6±1.86 cm, and the total weight (tw) varied between 6.2 and 57.8 g with an average of 25.4±9.57 g. the estimated growth parameters using the von bertalanffy approach have an asymptotic length l∞=21.26 cm, growth coefficient k=0.77 year-1, and age at zero length t0=-0.17 year. the results of the study showed that the length-weight relationship had an isometric growth (b=2.99) with a high correlation (r=0.95). the sex ratio showed no dominance between males and females (f+m/m=0.5). the instantaneous rate of total mortality (z) was estimated to be 1.79 per year, with natural mortality (m) estimated at 0.65 year-1. fishing mortality (f) and exploitation (e) were estimated at 1.14 and 0.64 year-1, respectively. based on these results, the sardine stock in the southwestern mediterranean sea (western algerian coast) is under higher fishing pressure. consequently, it is imperative to implement management strategies that ensure sustainable levels of harvesting.