Inventory and Dynamics of Fish Landings from Small-Scale Maritime Fisheries at the Fishing Port of the San-Pédro’s Port (South-West, Côte d'Ivoire)

Knowledge of the fish fauna in Ivorian waters is of concern to both scientists and those responsible for developing the fishing industry. Indeed, the increasing intensification of the exploitation of fishery resources is raising real risks of regression and disappearance of certain species. With this in mind, a survey of fishing activities was carried out in the fishing port of San-Pédro between July and December 2021. The aim of this study was to take stock of the dynamics of fish landings from small-scale fishing in this fishing port. Sampling of landed fish was carried out between 08:00 and 12:00 in the morning in two campaigns according to the two seasons that prevail in the region, by visual differentiation in plastic containers followed by counting. Identification was carried out using the appropriate keys. The conservation status and vulnerability of the various specimens were determined according to IUCN criteria version 2023. The inventory showed that a total of 55 species of fish from 32 families and 14 orders were landed during the two study periods. These catches were dominated by the order Perciformes, which was the most diverse (56.36% of species) and the most preponderant (61.29% of individuals). Oceanodromous species dominated the catches during the long rainy season. On the other hand, benthic species were the most common during the long dry season. Thunnus albacares was the most abundant during the long dry season, while Sardinella aurita (26.8%) dominated during the long rainy season. The analysis of conservation status and vulnerability showed that 18 species of fish landed were of biological interest for conservation. The presence of endangered species such as Rhinobatos cemiculus means that fishermen need to be made more aware of the problem and their catches need to be monitored more closely in order to protect them.