Study of shrimp distributions by means of locally weighted regression

The distribution of shrimp is modeled through the use of locally weighted regression based on survey data. Multivariate local regression was successfully employed to generate distributional surfaces and to construct approximate F-tests for three shrimp species found in waters off Kuwait: Penaeus semisulcatus, Metapenaeus affinis, and Parapenaeopsis stylifera. Distributional differences among the three species can be clearly visualized with local regression maps. Penaeus semisulcatus is distributed throughout the survey waters; M. affinis and P. stylifera are primarily concentrated in waters northward from 29.1 degreesN latitude. Because Kuwait Bay has a high density of small shrimp representing all three species, it may be regarded as a nursery ground. A second nursery ground for P. semisulcatus was possibly identified in the southern coastal waters of Kuwait.