초록
An assessment of Kuwait's commercial fish stocks: hamoor (Epinephelus tauvina), zobaidy (Pampus argenteus), nakroor (Pomadasys argenteus) and sheiry (Lethrinus nebulosus), was conducted using length-frequency data, mean growth and mortality estimates obtained during 1981$\~$1988. The length-cohort analysis indicated that increases in fishing effort would not lead to long-term gains in yield of the stocks at the current estimate of natural mortality rate (M). At high M which was assumed arbitrarily, some benefit in yield could be obtained, especially for hamoor and sheiry. At low M, the yield of all stocks decreased with increased fishing effort. Increases in fishing effort resulted in significant dec-line in spawning stock size for all the stocks. Yield-per-recruit analysis indicated that, un-der low M assumption, a higher yield can be obtained for zobaidy and nakroor by reducing fishing effort. At moderate M, decreases in fishing effort brought gains in yield per recruit of the stocks, but it was not substantial compared with the present level of M. At high M, most of the stocks reached the maximum yield-per-recruit. Overall, increased fishing effort either will not be associated with large long-term gains in yield or, in some stocks, might cause a decline from the present level.