Various aspects of the distribution and abundance of turbot in Bulgarian Black Sea coast

Turbot, Psetta maxima (Linnaeus, 1758), is a flatfish of the family Scophthalmidae, which is widespread in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Seas (Nielsen, 1986). The species inhabits European coastal waters in the North Atlantic from Norway to Morocco, including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea (Blanquer et al., 1992). It is a benthic marine species, inhabiting a sandy and muddy bottom, in the shallower part of the continental shelf up to about 110 meters (Karapetkova, 1964). Sahin & Gunes (2011) claim that Psetta maxima is widespread in the coastal zone at a depth of 20-60 m.

The present study aims to address various aspects of the distribution and abundance of turbot through landing data. Based on the analysis of the information from turbot catches, we obtained information, which is crucial for science and it is useful for the management of fishing activities and quotas.

The data for the study is collected from the Bulgarian ports in the Black Sea in the period 2017-2019. Samples of 2062 fish are collected. The average total length and weight of the fish are 52.63 ± 6.12 cm and 2600 ± 910 g respectively. The length-weight ratios are determined by the following equations: 2017 – W=0.02.L^2.98, n=566, (R²=0.88); 2018 – W=0.04.L^2.80, n=783, (R² = 0.85); 2019 – W=0.34.L^2.25, n=713, (R² = 0.71); 2017 – 2019: W=0.08.L^2.60, n=2062, (R²= 0.80). 

Based on the data analyzed in the study, Psetta maxima has healthy population in the Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea.