Evaluation of the performance of small-scale fishing gears used for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares Bonnaterre, 1788) in the Oman Sea

To evaluate the performance of small-scale fishery, biometric data and catch indicators of gillnets and longline from artisanal dhow in the coastal waters of Sistan and Baluchestan province, and pole and line fishing from the tuna tagging cruise in coastal waters of Oman was analyzed. The yellowfin tuna was the predominant species of the catch composition for gillnets and longline with 71% and 79% of fishing weight, respectively. Yellowfin tuna was the only species caught by pole and line. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) was obtained in accordance with the fishing method. On the same scale, the catch by weight of yellowfin tuna per fishing day from pole and line was almost 3 times more than the gillnets and almost 4 times more than the longline. On the other hand, the catch of yellowfin tuna by gillnets per each fishing day showed only 33% more than the longline. The yellowfin tuna catch index of longline and pole and line in the Oman Sea is comparable to the values obtained in the Indian Ocean region. The size of the fish in the longline was larger than the pole and line and gillnets, with the average length of 133±7.0, 105.0±3.7, and 94.4±4.4 cm for the respective fishing method, and the average weight corresponded to the length was calculated 40.8±2.2, 20.8±0.7 and 15.4±0.7 kg. It is recommended to use the pole and line fishing method as well as the development of longline for exploiting valuable resources of yellowfin tuna in the area.