Tidal movements of shallow water fishes in Kuwait Bay

Abstract

The intertidal migrations of shallow water fishes in Kuwait Bay were studied during two 24 h periods using an otter trawl. Most species wereconcentrated at a location corresponding to Low Low Water mark. At the other tidal levels some fishes migrated with the tide to High High Water mark through a horizontal distance of up to 2 km. Any effect of day and night on the catch was masked by the effect of tidal condition.Leiognarhus decorus (de Vis) was typically concentrated at Low Water but a proportion of the population followed the rising tide toward the shore. There was a die1 effect whichmay have been due to fish moving to shallower water at night compared with the day. Length-frequency distribution changed slightly with tidal state so that larger fish were not captured at High Water during the day. Of the fishes captured at high tide, the largest individuals of L. decorus were captured at a depth of 2.0 m deep. Solea elongata Day did not migrate with tidal fluctuations and was captured in large numbers only at Low Water. Arius tenuispinis Day was captured in shoals at or around Low Water.

Role of microbial mats in Sulaibikhat Bay (Kuwait) mudflat food webs: evidence from δ13C analysis

“…The Bay is tidal with shallow depths not exceeding 8 m at the entrance. Tides are mostly semidiurnal with a mean tidal height of 3.26 m. Surrounding the bay are intertidal mudflats, up to 4 km wide at low tide, with Bay is a major nursery ground for many commercial fishery species (Wright et al 1990, Bishop & Khan, 1999 and harbours endemic species (Al-Khayat & Jones 1996, Apel & Türkay 1999. Despite its ecological and fisheries value many coastal parts of this bay have been subjected to anthromorphic modification since the mid 1980s, with infilling, reclamation and construction of sewage outlets affecting the ecosystem.…”

“…The stable carbon isotopic ratios (δ 13 C) of major primary producers and dominating consumers (Jones 1986, Wright et al 1990, Bishop & Khan 1999 on Sulaibikhat Bay mudflats are displayed in Table 3. The major primary producers on the mudflat are phytoplankton, the microbial mat/diatom complex (70% benthic diatoms, 30% cyanobacteria), the halophyte Salicornia herbacea, and the mangrove Avicennia marina.…”

“…Despite the lack of mangroves, high benthic species diversity and abundance is associated with these habitats (Jones & Clayton 1983, Clayton 1986, Wright et al 1990, Al-Zaidan 1999, suggesting that these mudflats are highly productive. From estimates of distribution and calculations of microbial mat production within the coastal waters of Kuwait, mudflats and their associated microphytobenthos may be more productive in terms of gross primary production than rock, corals and seagrass habitats (Jones et al 2002).…”

History and current checklist of Kuwait's ichthyofauna

“…It is now clear from Al-Hassan et al 's (1988) work that at least two species of catfish were involved. Other studies of Kuwait's fishes include noncommercial species (Clayton & Vaughan, 1986Clayton & Wright, 1989;Wright, 1989a;Ismail & Clayton, 1990) and shallow water assemblages (Wright, 1988a(Wright, , b, 1989bWright et al, 1990Wright et al, , 1996Abou-Seedo et al 1990;Abou-Seedo, 1992).…”

Endemic macrofauna of the Sulaibikhat Bay salt marsh and mudflat habitats, Kuwait: status and need for conservation

“…Clayton (1986) reviewed and identified a number of intertidal macrofaunal communities and their zonation patterns based on nonquantitative sampling. Surprisingly, reliable quantitative data on the macrofauna of Kuwait Bay exists only from the late 1980s onwards, and mostly for subtidal areas (Wright, 1988a(Wright, ,b, 1989Wright et al, 1990Wright et al, , 1996Abouseedo et al, 1990;Abouseedo, 1992;Bishop & Khan, 1999). The aim of the present study was to assess the current ecological and biological status of the most sensitive and exposed area of the mudflat habitat, the upper intertidal zone, and to determine changes in the macrozoobenthos in relation to anthropogenic influences.…”