Population Dynamics of Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) from Dakar Coastal Waters, Senegal

Abstract

Perna perna is a species of bivalve mollusk found along the Senegalese coast from the Cape Verde peninsula to the Saloum Islands. Due to the generation of income and jobs, this species is extremely significant to Senegal’s socioeconomic landscape, especially in the Dakar area. This work constitutes a first study on the population dynamics of Perna perna in Senegal. The specimens used for this study were caught in the Mamelles site on the Cape Verde Peninsula from March 2018 to February 2019. To assess population parameters, the FiSAT II software and its ELEFAN sub-program were used to analyze the monthly length-frequency data. The results obtained show that the asymptotic length (L∞), growth coefficient (K), growth performance index (Φ’) and longevity (tmax) were 13.65 cm, 1 yr-1, and 2.27; 2.80 yr, respectively. Total mortality (Z) was esteemed to be 3.51 yr-1. Natural mortality (M) and fishing mortality (F) were 2 yr-1 and 1.51 yr-1, respectively. The recruitment pattern is a continuous with a major peak occurring in May-Jun. The current exploitation level (E) of Perna perna was 0.43 while the maximum allowable limit of exploitation (Emax) was 0.453; which implies that in order to prevent overexploitation, management actions will need to be taken.