fa تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="TR" style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Due to the limited information available on the catch performance of midwater trawl fisheries in Iranian marine waters, the present study was conducted to determine the catch composition and species diversity of fish captured by midwater trawl nets targeting lanternfish fishing grounds in the Oman Sea, specifically in the eastern part of Hormozgan Province (Jask region), during the winter of 2016&ndash;2017. A total of 14 aquatic species belonging to 14 families were identified from the fishing grounds, including 12 species of bony fishes representing 12 families and two species of cartilaginous fishes representing two families. Among the recorded species, the largehead hairtail (<i>Trichiurus lepturus</i>) constituted the highest proportion of the catch (55.7%), followed by lanternfish (<i>Benthosema pterotum</i>) with 43.5%, and blackmouth croaker (<i>Atrobucca nibe</i>) with 0.2%. The results further indicated that <i>Trichiurus lepturus</i>, <i>Benthosema pterotum</i>, <i>Atrobucca nibe</i>, and <i>Sphyraena putnamae</i> exhibited the highest frequency of occurrence (100%) across all sampling stations. In contrast, <i>Grammoplites suppositus</i>, <i>Epinephelus coioides</i>, and <i>Saurida tumbil</i> showed the lowest occurrence frequency (20%). Other species recorded during the survey included <i>Rastrelliger kanagurta</i> (80%), <i>Cynoglossus arel</i> (80%), <i>Gymnura poecilura</i> (60%), <i>Chiloscyllium arabicum</i> (60%), <i>Muraenesox cinereus</i> (40%), <i>Nemipterus japonicus</i> (40%), and <i>Acropoma japonicum</i> (40%). The findings demonstrate that the catch composition in the study area is strongly influenced by the relatively great fishing depth (mean depth of approximately 223 m), resulting in a community dominated by deep-water fish species.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Midwater trawl, Frequency of occurrence, Lanternfish, Oman Sea, Hormozgan Province 153 161 http://injbir.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-49&slc_lang=fa&sid=1 A. Jafari Petkan 1003194753284600702 1003194753284600702 No Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 4314, Karaj, Iran S. Eagderi 1003194753284600703 1003194753284600703 Yes Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 4314, Karaj, Iran E. Cicek 1003194753284600704 1003194753284600704 No Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Nevshehir Haci Bektash Veli University, Nevshehir, Turkey