Landing, consumption, and DNA barcoding of commercial seabream (Perciformes: Sparidae) in Kuwait

Abstract

To our knowledge, this is the first inclusive assessment of the status of Sparidae fisheries in the territorial waters of Kuwait, integrating information on catch trends, consumer preferences, recreational fishing behaviour, and molecular based identification of fish species by DNA barcoding Fisheries landing data were obtained from the official fisheries bulletin released by the Kuwait Central Statistical Bureau. Surveys were conducted to assess consumer preferences on seabream species, landed seabream species, and the behaviour of recreational anglers towards seabream species. DNA barcodes were generated to authenticate commercial seabream using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COXI) gene and then compared with GenBank sequence entries; these sequences were then used to construct a neighbour‐joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree. Yellowfin seabream Acanthopagrus latus was the prime and most favoured commercial seabream species (45%), followed by Sparidentex hasta, which was the top‐rated secondary, unassessed seabream species. Approximately 54% of households conduct recreational fishing more than twice a month, and most (77%) primarily target S. hasta and Ac. latus. Consumer demand for secondary seabreams, which were not assessed and are listed in the bulletin under the category ‘others’, was evident. The NJ phylogenetic tree revealed that Arabian Gulf seabreams, including those of Kuwait, are genetically different from their counterparts inhabiting neighbouring waters. The data presented here highlight the urgency to modify the existing fisheries list using accurate identification tools, such as DNA barcoding, for the sustainable and conservation‐oriented management of local fisheries, which are in decline.

DNA Barcoding for Identification of Some Fish Species (Sparidae) in Mediterranean Sea Area

“…DNA barcoding approaches expand in African fisheries to solve the problems of fish species identifications, evolutions, population differentiations and biogeographic distributions [22]. Socio-economic and biological findings provide important contributions for evaluating the status of commercially important fish, and for sustainably conserving both the fish stocks and the ecosystem [23]. The Suez Gulf is one of the most important water bodies north of the Red Sea that contribute significantly in fish production in Egypt [24].…”

Assessment of Seabream Fisheries Stock of Oman Using the Monte Carlo Catch Maximum Sustainable Yield and the Bayesian Schaefer Model Methods

“…Stock assessment methods use a combination of qualitative and quantitative information to detect the elements that have an impact on the parameters of the population dynamics, such as its maturation, fertility, natural mortality, fishing mortality, and growth rate [5]. Generally, the lack of sufficient and accurate data of fisheries often contributes to the unsustainability and overexploitation of fisheries in the Arabian Gulf [6,7]. According to the FAO's (2022) [8] long-term monitoring of marine fish stocks and fishery resources, they are continuously being depleted.…”

“…Seabreams inhabit temperate and tropical coastal waters and they are popular targets for recreational anglers worldwide [6,29]. Seabream are 'cyclic migrants' because their spawning occurs in the open sea, while the juveniles move into shallow areas with water depths of less than five meters [32].…”

De-novo genome assembly and annotation of sobaity seabream Sparidentex hasta

“…However, genomics and molecular biology research on Sobaity seabream is limited due to the absence of its complete genome sequence. The DNA barcoding of several commercial seabreams including S. hasta was reported ( Al-Zaidan et al, 2021 ). Most of the other studies on S. hasta are focused on the dietary effects of different feed combinations on S. hasta ( Hossain et al, 2017 ; Yaghoubi et al, 2018 ; Hekmatpour et al, 2019 ).…”

“…However, there is a global decline in fisheries ( Hossain et al, 2017 ) and to compensate for this decline and to assure future food security in Kuwait, aquaculture technologies were developed for S. hasta to fulfill the demands of the local market ( Teng et al, 1987 ; Abdullah et al, 1989 ). Sobaity was chosen to be the first candidate species for commercial production in Kuwait because of its survival capability and tolerance in captivity ( Al-Abdul-Elah et al, 2010 ; Torfi Mozanzadeh et al, 2017 ) and it is the second most favorable commercial seabream species in Kuwait after the yellowfin seabream ( Acanthopagrus latus ) ( Al-Zaidan et al, 2021 ). The selection of Sobaity for aquaculture in the early 80’s was primarily attributed to its ability to spawn in captivity, its tolerance to different culture conditions, and its fast growth rate ( Yousif et al, 2003 ).…”