SOME BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE OCTOPUS POPULATION (CEPHALOPODA: OCTOPODIDAE) IN THE GULF OF SUEZ – NORTHERN RED SEA, EGYPT

Abstract

During the last years, the price of Octopuses in the national and international markets increased spectacularly. Due to the high demand and the attractive selling price of Octopus, most of fishermen reach to overfish. The present study aimed to give information about biological characters of Amphioctopus aegina and A. membranaceus as well as its population parameters (species composition, morphometric relationships, reproduction, age and growth, and population structure). This information’s would help in Suez Gulf management purpose to maintain the stock of this valuable resource. In the present study, the fishing effort fluctuated greatly from season to another between a minimum value of 1118 landings during the fishing season 2012/2013 and a maximum value of 1852 landings during 2019/2020 with an average value of 1592 landings throughout the eight years. The species composition of Octopus caught from the Gulf of Suez were