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Argyrops spinifer | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes

Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
Argyrops spinifer may represent three unique species in the Arabian Gulf (Y. Iwatsuki pers. comm. 2013). Iwatsuki and Heemstra (2018) recently described A. flavops from Mutrah, Oman and Karachi, Pakistan and A. caeruleops from the Gulf of Oman, southern Oman, Socotra and Pakistan. Further study of additional specimens is required to determine the extent of their distributions in the western Indian Ocean/Arabian Seas region.
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Bauchot and Smith 1984).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
Yes
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits a wide range of bottoms to 150 m depth, usually 5-100 m (Smith and Smith 1986, Sommer et al. 1996). Young fish occur in very shallow waters of sheltered bays (Sommer et al. 1996) and larger individuals occur in deeper water. It occurs in estuaries along the Iranian Sea of Oman coast (Kamrani et al. 2016). It feeds on benthic invertebrates, mainly mollusks (Fischer et al. 1990, Salini et al. 1994). The spawning season in the Arabian Sea occurs from September to January, with a peak around October-November. In the southern Arabian Gulf, spawning occurs from January to April (Grandcourt et al. 2004). In Qatari waters, spawning occurs from November to March, with a peak in December (Abdallah et al. 2012). There is some evidence of large aggregations forming during autumn in the Gulf of Aden (Mann and Fennessy 2000). Its maximum total length is 75 cm (S. Alam pers. comm. 2013). The fork length at first maturity in Oman is 28.6 and 26.4 cm for females and males, respectively (McIlwain et al. 2006). Age and length at first maturity off Abu Dhabi is estimated as 26.9 cm and 2.4 years for males and 26.7 cm and 2.4 years for females (Grandcourt et al. 2004). In the Arabian Sea off Oman, longevity was estimated as 25 years and size and age at maturity as 36.5 cm and 5 years for males and 37.2 cm and 5.6 years for females (Al Mamry et al. 2009). In Iran, the maximum recorded ages for females and males was 21 and 25 years, respectively (Ghanbarzadeh et al. 2017). When applying an age at first reproduction of 3 years and longevity of 25 years, its estimated generation length is 14 years based on the following equation recommended by the IUCN Red List methods: Age at first reproduction + (Age at last reproduction -“ age at first reproduction)/2.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Critically Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
A2bd+4bd
Assessment rationale/justification
This coastal species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is targeted by commercial fisheries in the UAE and surrounding countries of the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman and is considered overexploited in Abu Dhabi. Based on catch data, stock assessments and fish market observations, this species is inferred to have declined by at least 80% over the past generation length, or 14 years. Its population status in areas neighboring the UAE is not known, but it is heavily exploited elsewhere as well. With recent fisheries management measures implemented in Abu Dhabi, it is difficult to say whether fishing effort will continue to increase or decrease within the near future; however, effort in this fishery in surrounding Emirates where management measures are not stringent may increase or remain the same. Considering that other Emirates and surrounding countries that likely share this stock do not have management measures in place to reduce effort in the gargoor fishery, population declines are expected to continue. It is listed as Critically Endangered A2bd+A4bd. As this species may be confused with two other recently described species from the region (Argyrops flavops and A. caeruleops), further taxonomic work is recommended.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Overfishing is a major threat to this species in the UAE (Grandcourt et al. 2014). Coastal development has been pervasive in the UAE and Arabian Gulf region, and this may impact the inshore habitats this species utilizes.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures: