Population Dynamics of the Fish Species Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788) in the Central-eastern Atlantic Ocean, Côte d'Ivoire

To find out more about the exploitation status of the fish species Brama brama in Côte d’Ivoire, population dynamics were undertaken with Logiciet FiSAT II (FAO-ICLARM Stock Assessment Tools) software (version 1.2.2). Samples were collected from artisanal marine fishermen landing at the Abobodoumé pirogue wharf, Abidjan. The study of this population dynamics is the first of its kind in the central-eastern portion of the Atlantic bordering Côte d'Ivoire. A total of 505 individuals were collected. Most were small, ranging in size from 18 to 36 cm, and weighing 95.6 to 523.4 g respectively. Von Bertalanffy growth was deployed using FiSAT II to determine the growth parameters of this Atlantic pomfret. The asymptotic length is L∞ = 35.70 cm, with a growth performance Ø' = 3.25, justifying the high specific growth rate K = 1.4 yr-1. Theoretical age (t0 = - 0.97 yr-1) and longevity or maximum age (tmax = 2.14 yr-1) were determined. This maximum age obtained in Ivorian waters confirms that the fish caught are too young. Natural mortality for this species (M = 2.14 yr-1) is lower than fishing mortality (F = 4.01 yr-1). The exploitation rate (E = 0.65) is higher than the critical value (E = 0.5). These results suggest that this species is overexploited in Ivorian waters, even though the size of first capture is greater than the size of first maturity.