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Abstract

Marine fisheries play an important role in Vietnam’s economy, especially inshore fishing, accounting for most total catch and providing a livelihood for local fishers. However, coastal ecosystems have faced many anthropogenic and natural threats, causing degradation and altering habitats. Besides, inadequate fisheries statistics make fisheries management ineffective and uncontrolled. In the present study, we examined the fisheries resources' status in the Mekong Delta's estuarine region to instruct fisheries management. Six surveys were done by trawling in 25 sites along the coastline. Data on species, number of individuals, weight, fishing operation, and environmental parameters were collected. Data were arranged in different spatiotemporal aspects, including seasons (dry and rainy), estuary related (ER) sites and non-estuary related (NER) sites, and south of the Hau river sites and north of the Hau river sites as analysis. The relative species abundance, Simpson index, Jaccard coefficient, and the catch per unit area (CPUA) were employed to understand the study region's fisheries resources. T-test and one-way ANOVA were employed to examine the significant difference among these factors. Results show that 199 species belonging to 65 families were identified. There were significant differences in the species abundance, diversity, the CPUA, and environmental factors in different seasons and sites. Remarkably, the species abundance, diversity, and CPUA were different from previous surveys. The possible reasons for the differences and the significance of our findings in fisheries management were discussed.