A trophic model of the coastal fisheries ecosystem off the west coast of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

A mass-balance steady-state trophic model of the coastal fisheries ecosystem off the West Coasts of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia (10 - 60 m depth) was constructed using the Ecopath software. The ecosystem models were partitioned into 29 ecological/trophic groups. The input values (e.g. biomasses) for selected groups were obtained from the research (trawl) surveys conducted in the area in 1972. The estimated mean trophic level of the fisheries catch for both models is about 3.3. The biomass values obtained from Ecopath when compared with the estimates of the fishery catch indicate a low level of exploitation of coastal fisheries resources in 1972.