Can brush parks aggregate species in lagoon systems? A case of Homa Lagoon, Aegean Sea, Turkey

This study aimed to investigate the species aggregating performance of brush parks in Homa Lagoon (Aegean Sea, Turkey). The study was conducted in 100 m2 area between June 2004 and January 2005 in Homa Lagoon. Alternative fishing gears (produced from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and sacks filled with bush bundles) were firstly investigated by the present study besides commonly used fishing gears (fyke net, basket trap, and circled lift net) in traditional fisheries. The species composition was determined for each fishing gears for brush park fisheries. A total of 1855 individuals were caught and the most yield was obtained from the basket traps (1018 individuals) followed by the sacks filled with bush bundles traps (324 individuals), PVC materials (313 individuals), and the circled lift nets (200 individuals), respectively. This study revealed that brush park fisheries can attract the species in lagoon systems. Therefore, socioeconomic assessment and appropriate fisheries management approaches for brush park fisheries and lagoon fisheries should be carried out and applied for sustainable use of fisheries resources in lagoon systems.