Rapid spread of the northern brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891 in the Gulf of Gabes (south-eastern Tunisia): an additional fishery resource with potential impact on local species

摘要

The present paper reports the rapid spread and increased abundance of the northern brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891, four years after its first record by Ben Jarray et al. (2019), in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Gabes (south-eastern Tunisia). In order to trace the spread of this shrimp and assess the potential effects of its establishment in the Gulf of Gabes. a survey was conducted with local fishermen. The results of the survey showed that P. aztecus has continuously invaded the inshore waters of the Gulf of Gabes since 2018. Along the Gulf coast, the species is caught mainly by trammel nets in the submerged aquatic vegetation between Metouia and Ghannouch at depths between 5 and 20 m. Most fishermen (23.3%) reported a catch between 10 and 15 kg boat~(-1) trip~(-1), although some (3.3%) reported catches up to 35 kg boat~(-1) trip~(-1). In spite of the economic benefits that local fishermen may gain from this additional fisheries resource, P. aztecus may be competing with other local shrimp species such as the Caramote prawn Penaeus kerathurus. Further studies are needed to better understand the opportunities and risks of P. aztecus establishment in the Gulf of Gabes.