CURRENT STATUS OF THE MACROBRACHIUM NIPPONENSE (DE HAAN, 1849) POPULATION IN THE UKRAINIAN SECTION OF THE LOWER DANUBE AND PROPOSALS FOR ORGANIZING ITS COMMERCIAL FISHING USE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47143/1684-1557/2025.1-2.3Keywords:
Oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense, population structure, Danube, proposals for fishing organization, bycatch.Abstract
Data on the sex and size-mass structure of the Oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense (De Haan, 1849) population were obtained based on the analysis of samples from 21 prawn trap catches in 2024–2025. A total of 739 specimens of M. nipponense were examined. The prawns in the catches were represented by individuals 23–106 mm long, weighing from 0.07 to 12.7 g. During the season, a rapid increase in the average body length and mass of river prawn is observed in the catches from March–April to August, and then a decrease in these parameters until November. Seasonal changes in the average length and mass of both sexes occur synchronously. For most of the year, males dominated the catches, the vast majority of females was observed only in July – 71.9% and in October – 70.7%. The timing of river prawn spawning in the lower Danube was specified. The first females with eggs were caught on May 15, and the last ones on November 18. In June–September, more than 50% of females carried eggs on pleopods. In August, the proportion of females with eggs reached 85%. To develop recommendations for the organization of the eastern river prawn (M. nipponense) fishery, catches of 121 shrimp traps (fyke nets) with a mesh size of 5 mm and 10 mm were studied in the Ukrainian section of the lower Danube in 2022–2025. The seasonal dynamics of prawn catches and bycatches of other aquatic organisms were determined from February to December. The optimal size and mass characteristics of prawn for fishing are observed from June to September, when the average length of one individual exceeds 60 mm and the mass is 3 grams. The peak of prawn catches per effort (CPUE) falls on July – about 500 g per trap. The presence of 24 species of fish and 1 species of crustaceans was recorded in the bycatch. On average, for all samples considered, the share of bycatches was 9.08% by number and 30.4% by mass. The share of bycatch is minimal in the period from June to October, which allows us to recommend the implementation of eastern river prawn fishing during this period. A comparative analysis of catches from traps with a mesh of 5 mm and 10 mm showed that the average weight of one individual of river prawn in catches from 5 mm traps was 2.59 g, and from traps with a mesh of 10 mm – 6.73 g. The average weight of prawn catch per effort (CPUE) of a 5 mm trap was 3.8 times higher than that of a trap with a mesh of 10 mm. However, the average bycatch in a 10 mm trap was 5 times lower in number and 2.4 times lower in weight. The optimal solution may be to establish a minimum mesh size in prawn traps of 8 mm. Regulation of the catch of M. nipponense should be carried out by limiting the permissible number of permitted fishing gears. Next year, it is advisable to limit the number of prawn traps (fyke nets) to 3.000 units.
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