During the surveys of the pelagic fish resources in the NW Arabian carried out with R/V "Dr. Fridtjof Nansen" during 1975-76, it was observed that large stocks of mesopelagic fishes were present. The largest concentrations were found in the Gulf of Oman and in the Gulf of Aden. Few fishing experiments were carried out in those surveys. But some of the trawl stations gave very high catch rates (Gjøsæter 1978).
Based on the results from these cruises it was concluded that a commercial fishery for mesopelagic fishes might be possible (Wijkstrøm 1978).
Therefore, it was decided to make a new cruise with R/V "Dr. Fridtjof Nansen" in the Gulf of Oman and in the Gulf of Aden. The purpose was to carry out fishing experiments, to make new abundance estimates, and to obtain data for further studies on the ecology and life history of the species concerned. It was also planned to collect samples for processing experiments.
