Distribution and diversity of fish species exposed to artisanal fishery along the Sudanese Red Sea coast.

The semi-enclosed Red Sea harbours one of the longest coral-reef ecosystems on the planet. The {approx} 850 km section of the western shore, comprising the coastline of the Red Sea State of the Republic of Sudan, has however been sparsely studied. Sudans coral reef fishery provides livelihoods to fishers and business opportunities by means of local and regional trade, however, the knowledge level of the state of the natural resources and the impacts of fisheries are poorly known. Here we report the results from the first three comprehensive fisheries research surveys spanning the entire Sudanese coast in 2012-13, representing a new baseline for the western coast fisheries resources. The surveys covered the entire coast from inshore down to about 150 m bottom depth using a combination of baited traps, gillnets and handlines to sample the various reef habitats and fish assemblages. The results demonstrate a uniform latitudinal species distribution with peak catch per unit effort rates in and around the Dungonab Bay area in the north and the outer Suakin archipelago in the south. Functional diversity (Raos Q index) was found to be highest in and around the Dungonab Bay area, thus coming through as a regional hot-spot of biodiversity. The results form a baseline for future research and monitoring, thus representing key input for an ecosystem approach to management of Sudans coastal artisanal fisheries.