Browsing by Author "Qasem, Ali M."
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- Habitat-forming organisms in the offshore seabed of the western Arabian GulfPublication . Lin, Yu-Jia; Roa-Ureta, Ruben; Premlal, Panickan; Nazeer, Zahid; Pulikkoden, Abdu Rahiman Kambrath; Qurban, Mohammad A.; Prihartato, Perdana K.; Alghamdi, Hamed A.; Qasem, Ali M.; Rabaoui, LotfiSome macro-benthic organisms, such as macroalgae, bryozoans, sponges, and gorgonian corals, can create heterogeneous frameworks of habitats in the surrounding seabed. Such frameworks are important benthic ecosystems, but knowledge of them is fairly limited in the Arabian Gulf, the hottest sea in the world. In this study, the presence of macroalgae, bryozoans, sponges, and gorgonian corals was discovered in the seabed of the western Arabian Gulf. These organisms had positive co-occurrences with a preference for depths of 20 to 50 m. A hotspot of spatial distribution of macroalgae and bryozoans was also identified, located in the northwestern part of the Arabian Gulf. These habitat forming organisms were distributed in a patchy pattern with low to moderate levels of density. They were positively associated with several commercial fishes, suggesting their importance to fishery. Our discovery extends the distribution of marine habitat-forming organisms into the offshore waters of the subtropical Arabian Gulf.
- Strengths and weaknesses in the long-term sustainability of two sympatric seabreams (Argyrops spinifer and Rhabdosargus haffara, Sparidae)Publication . Lin, Yu-Jia; Rabaoui, Lotfi; Maneja, Rommel H.; Pulikkoden, Abdu Rahiman Kambrath; Premlal, Panickan; Nazeer, Zahid; Qurban, Mohammad A.; Abdulkader, Khaled; Prihartato, Perdana K.; Qasem, Ali M.; Fita, Nabil; Roa-Ureta, RubenArgyrops spinifer and Rhabdosargus haffara are two sympatric seabream species making important contributions to fisheries landings in the western Arabian/Persian Gulf. We identified the strengths and weaknesses in the long-term sustainability of A. spinifer and R. haffara stocks by integrating multiple sources of data, including fisheries catch and effort statistics, life history traits, scientific trawl surveys and historical length frequency distribution. Four strengths were identified in A. spinifer: wide distribution of juveniles, positive association to the network of de facto fishing exclusion areas created by hundreds of oil-gas facilities, early maturation and the existence of large and old individuals. A. spinifer suffers from two potential weaknesses: slow growth rate and higher exploitation pressure on the small-sized individuals. R. haffara, on the other hand, has a strength of having a short life span and a fast growth rate, characteristics that make it robust to unfavourable conditions. R. haffara suffers from two weaknesses: the lack of association to the oil and gas facilities, and the preference for nearshore shallow waters with stronger negative anthropogenic impacts. Identified strengths and weaknesses of these two sparids provided a preliminary assessment about their long-term sustainability, as well as a roadmap about how to develop different management strategies to meet specific objectives.