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Interactions between bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and fishing gear have negative impacts on both dolphins and fisheries. Therefore, the damage and economic loss caused to the purse seine fishery were evaluated on a spatio-temporal scale, and the catch composition was addressed. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the fishers, and observations aboard the boat were recorded between August 2018 and July 2019 in the M'diq region, northwestern Morocco. Throughout the study period, the frequency of fishing trips attacked by bottlenose dolphins was 44.75% (n=324), and the catch damage was 33%. In addition, depredated fishing operations were significantly lower in CPUE than unattacked ones. The total mending cost was 35,533.3$, with a difference between months and seasons. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) attacked 32.2% of the fishing operations. However, this frequency of fishing operations depredated by depth was not significant. The current study proved that these interactions inflict substantial economic losses on the fishers of this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas 1846, Decapoda: Penaeidae) is one of the main target species of the demersal fishery in the Moroccan Atlantic region. However, in the last decade, there is a severe decline of shrimp fisheries in the area without the existence of any management plan. The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationships between the spawning of the deep-water rose shrimp and environmental factors in order to provide basic information for any future management measure. The spatial distribution of mature females is investigated through statistical techniques on data collected in the Moroccan Atlantic Ocean from bottom trawl surveys during 1981–2004. The geographic distribution of mature females is jointly analyzed in association to the spatial distribution of salinity and temperature at the depth of species catch. The study reveals a strong relationship between locations of spawning females and high salinity. Most spawning occurrences are observed in high salinity ‘islands’ (35.6–36.5 psu) or in the boundaries of higher-lower salinity patterns in the specific range of 36.2–36.4 psu in shallower (75–200 m) and deeper zones (250–500 m). Spawning occurs mostly in the shallower zone from spring to summer while during winter, it occurs in both depth zones. Temperature seems to be important on catch levels of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cetaceans' stranding data are a valuable information source about population indicators, biological analyses and causes of death. This study aimed to determine the species present on the north-western coast of Morocco, their spatio-temporal distribution and the potential causes of mortality of these stranded species. Ten cetacean species occurred on Morocco's north-western coast in the period from 2016 to 2021, from Jebha to Larache. These were bottlenose dolphin, short-beaked common dolphin, striped dolphin, common minke whale, Risso's dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Cuvier's beaked whales, killer whale and harbour porpoise. The most frequently stranded species were bottlenose dolphins (n = 30), striped dolphins (n = 61) and short-beaked common dolphins (n = 43). Additionally, these species were present in the study area throughout the year. There were no significant seasonal or monthly differences in the stranding events. In this study, 54.5% of all stranding cases showed interactions mainly with fisheries. Injuries and mutilations observed in the stranded cetaceans resulted from human interactions, thus increasing their probability of stranding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]