Survey of the Demersal Fish Resources of the outer shelf and slope off Ghana

Abstract

This survey focused on the outer shelf and deep water slope off Ghana and the catch-distribution analyses were therefore performed for four depth strata, outer shelf (< 100 m), upper slope (100-300 m) mid slope (300-600 m) and lower slope (>600 m). In the analyses the “Demersal” group includes commercially important families as Sciaenidae, Haemulidae (=Pomadasyidae), Serranidae, Sparidae and Lutjanidae, and especially in deeper waters the Merluccidae, Macrouridae and Moridae. The Pelagic group includes Engraulidae, Clupeidae, Carangidae, Scombridae, Sphyraenidae, Gempylidae and Trichiuridae (the latter family is actually mainly benthopelagic). For the analysis the “other” group includes all species not accounted for in the groups listed.