The stock of large-scale tongue sole Cynoglossus arel in the northwest Arabian Gulf was assessed from January 1997 to August 1998. The population parameters estimated were L_infinity = 35.2 cm, K = 0.42, Z = 1.58, M = 0.88, and F = 0.70. A bimodal pattern of unequal strength pulses separated by six months characterized the recruitment pattern. The exploitation rate obtained (E = 0.44) was slightly lower than the E_max value, which was 0.49. However, the length at first capture (L_c = 12.9 cm) should be increased to 15.0 cm to avoid any overfishing problems. The study emphasized the necessity of continuous assessment of northwest Arabian Gulf fisheries to define the impact of the increasing fishing effort on the fishery resources in this region.

The growth parameters of four common coastal fish species, Arius bilineatus, Ilisha megaloptera, Johnius belangerii, and Thryssa mystax in the Iraqi marine waters, northwest Arabian Gulf were estimated with the FiSAT program. The seasonal oscillation in growth patterns of each cohort was non-significant. However, the highest growth rates were observed during July-October for A. bilineatus, I. megaloptera, and J. belangerii, and during April-July for T. mystax. Pronounced differences in growth rates among the cohorts of each species were noticed. More than 50% of the growth increments took place during the first two years.

Samples of carp and sbour were examined for bacterial contamination in flesh, skin, gills, and the intestinal tract. Total bacterial count, psychrotrophic, proteolytic, lipolytic, and total coliform bacteria in the flesh of carp were 32 x 10⁴, 56 x 10³, 61 x 10², 39 x 10², and 30 x 10³ CFU/g respectively. In the same order, the values for sbour flesh were 11 x 10⁴, 27 x 10³, 76 x 10², 65 x 10², and 16 x 10³ CFU/g respectively. These values are within the limit recommended by the ICMSF (1986). No faecal coliforms were detected in any of the samples during the study period. Seasonal variations were recorded.

The benthic index of biotic integrity, B-IBI, reflected the major components of the aquatic environment of the Shatt al-Arab River, such as taxonomy, density, feeding, and reproduction. B-IBI was applied to the benthic invertebrate community of the Shatt al-Arab River near Basrah city to measure the degradation, disturbance, and imbalance in the benthic communities of the rivers. The survey indicated that an alien species Balanus amphitrite amphitrite was the dominant rather than the native species (Melanoides tuberculata, Corbicula fluminea, Metapenaeus affinis, Atyaephyra desmarestii Mesopotamica, and Elamenopsis kempi). The degree of B-IBI of the studied part of the Shatt al-Arab River ranged between fair and poor.

The stock of silver drammer Johnius belangerii in the northwest Arabian Gulf was assessed from January 1997 to August 1998. The population parameters estimated were L_infinity = 26.49 cm, K = 0.68, Z = 3.80, M = 1.36, and F = 2.44. A bimodal pattern of unequal strength pulses characterized the recruitment pattern of this species. The exploitation rate obtained (E = 0.64) exceeded the E_max value, found to equal 0.44. However, the length at first capture (L_c = 7.5 cm) should be increased to 13.5 cm. Therefore, increasing the cod end mesh size will be beneficial in the sense that there will not be any problem of recruitment overfishing brought about by continuous removal of prospective spawners.

Seasonal variations in primary production of phytoplankton in the lower reaches of the Saddam River along with the impact of related ecological factors were investigated, indicating the first study of this type following construction of this river. Two stations were selected at up- and downstream locations, and water and phytoplankton samples were collected monthly from August 1996 to July 1997. The study revealed seasonal variations in ecological factors that usually exceeded those recorded in previous studies, with minor exceptions. Monthly changes in chlorophyll-a content of the phytoplankton were noted with two successive distinct peaks at each station. The highest (10.12 mg/m³) was recorded at station I during March. Two distinct maxima in primary production were also detected at both stations. The highest was encountered during a warmer period of the year. Values ranged between 37.5 and 206.25 mg C/m³/hr. Daily and annual productivity were also calculated. Correlation coefficients between various combinations of ecological factors and between primary production and related conditions were discussed.

The stock of sin croaker Johnieops sina in the northwest Arabian Gulf was assessed from January 1997 to August 1998. The population parameters estimated were L_infinity = 30.03 cm, K = 0.4, Z = 1.65, M = 0.88, and F = 0.77. A bimodal recruitment pattern of unequal pulses was found. The exploitation rate obtained (E = 0.47) was close to the E_max value (0.48). However, the length at first capture (L_c = 9.8 cm) should be increased to 14 cm to maximize the yield per recruitment. The study emphasized the importance of continuous assessment studies to define the impact of a gradual increase of fishing effort exerted by shrimp trawlers in the northwest Arabian Gulf on the resources of commercial fisheries.

Composition and seasonal changes in food components were studied for young Polydactylus sextarius collected from Iraqi territorial marine waters, northwest Arabian Gulf, from July 1998 to June 1999. The study revealed that active feeding was synchronized with rises in water temperature. Peak of feeding activity (89.3%) occurred in June. Fish also consumed more diet during the warm period of the year. The highest feeding intensity value (2.9 points/fish) was recorded in March. Six food items were consumed, and seasonal fluctuations in composition and abundance were evident. Prawn formed the main dietary component followed by mysids, isopods, and fishes. An index of relative importance revealed that prawn came first in order of diet importance throughout the year, except in spring when mysids constituted the major importance of food components.

The review of all literature concerning the helminth parasites of aquatic birds in Basrah during the period from 1992 to 2000 indicated the presence of 64 different species of helminths (27 trematodes, 21 cestodes, and 16 nematodes) in 22 bird species. This review also includes a detailed list of parasite-host, host families, and reference citations arranged in alphabetical order.