Assessing the Trophic Level of Fishes from an Andaman Coastal Fishery, Thailand, Using the Ecopath Model for Proper Fisheries Management
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Abstract
The high levels of abundance and diversity of aquatic resources in various Andaman Sea ecosystems have led to overfishing and overexploitation, which has often taken place with little or no awareness of, and regard for, the damage to ecosystem food web. The aim of this study was to simulate the food web structure and investigate the ecotrophic efficiency (EE) of the trophic levels (TL) of an Andaman Sea coastal fishery using the Ecopath model. The sample collection took place in Krabi, Phang-nga and Phuket provinces in both artisanal and commercial fisheries, over the period of October 2017 to November 2018. A total of 43 aquatic species were studied. This model analysis showed that the mean trophic level of fishery yield was 2.532 and the average values of Ecotrophic Efficiency (EE) were high (0.702-0.990), except for detritus, producers, and immature organisms in groups of species such as Rhinobatos schlegelii and Chiloscyllium griseum. These results indicated that the fish resources of the Andaman Sea ecosystem had been excessively utilized. However, the fishery is still impressive in many ways, and this can be seen from the spread of trophic levels that ranged from 1-3.827. The top predator was Istiophorus platypterus. The second trophic level played an important role in energy transfer between producers and high-level consumers. There was a high fishery yield in the area. Furthermore, the model can be used to evaluate the state of the ecosystem structure in order to support fishery decision making policy and proper fishery management in the Andaman Sea ecosystem.
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King Mongkut's Agricultural Journal
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