ASSESSMENT OF STOCK AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOLE (SOLEA SOLEA, L.) IN ALBANIAN COAST USING RAPIDO TRAWL

Common sole (Solea solea Linnaeus, 1758) is still not a specific target of fishery in Albania, but it represents an important target of the mixed-species catches of bottom trawlers and set netters operating in the coastal areas in the upper part of Albanian Adriatic Sea. Sole landings are low, amounting very few tonnes, but the demand will likely increase in the next future, because of the high quality of the fish fillet and the increase of consumers demand for wild sea fish. In order to identify the spawning areas and assess the spatial distribution and biomass of this species a rapido trawl survey was performed in year 2007. The smallest specimens were mostly concentrated in the shallowest stratum and the largest ones between 30 and 100 m depth. Solea Stock Biomass (SSB) was 354 t, corresponding to 64% of the overall population recorded at sea at that time. In the context of fisheries, the Albanian fishing fleet involve a number of different fishing gears, while rapido trawl is introduced recently. The special technical and operating characteristics of rapido trawl makes it very effective in sole fishery and less harmful for the sea benthos and the species inhabiting it. This study aimed the estimation of spatial distribution of common sole and its biomass in the Albanian coast using rapido trawl gear.