Long term changes in the fish assemblage of Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait

Between February 1986 and July 1990, a total of 47,761 fish representing 70 species from 38 families were captured using an otter trawl in Sulaibikhat Bay, Kuwait. Young of the year dominated the catches. The assemblage can be characterised by depth and season, with depth made up of intertidal and subtidal. Seasons consisted of winter, spring and summer. The 20 most numerous species can be placed into several categories with typical examples as follows: regular species are: Leiognathus decorus (de Vis); spring and summer intertidal species Liza carinata (Valenciennes); irregular species Terapon puta (Cuvier) and subtidal species Solea elongata (Day). Fish abundance data showed considerable variation between years. The long-term dominant species, Leiognathus decorus (de Vis), unlike most other species reported here, was present in all life history stages and in consistent numbers every year. The two numerical dominants, Liza carinata and Pomadasys stridens (Forsskal), showed marked between-year differences in numbers, being present in large numbers in one year only.