Investigating Abundance of Four Lessepsian Fish Species in the Syrian Coastal Waters, Tartous (Banias- bsira)

We estimated in this study, the abundance of four lessepsian fish species in the Marine Waters of Tartous (Syrian coast) from June 2007 to June 2008, using gill nets and trammel nets. These species are: Sargocentron rubrum (Holocentridae), Saurida undosquamis (Synodontidae), Siganus rivulatus and S. luridus (Siganidae). Our results show that Sargoncentron rubrum is not considered as an important species for the fishermen. Saurida undosquamis was rare in (Bsira) but a little quantity were recorded in Banias. The quantities of Siganid species were nearly the same, forming 13.7 % of total marine fish catch in Tartous. But S. luridus quantity reduced from December 2007 and reached their minimum in February and march 2008.