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                <front>
                    <journal-meta>
                        <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">J. Adv. Biol. Sci.</journal-id>
                        <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">LQP-JABS</journal-id>
                        <journal-title-group>
                            <journal-title>Journal of Advanced Biological Sciences</journal-title>
                        </journal-title-group>
                        <issn pub-type="ppub">3134-8823</issn>
                        <publisher>
                            <publisher-name>Journal of Advanced Biological Sciences</publisher-name>
                        </publisher>
                    </journal-meta>
                    <article-meta>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.66590/jabs2025020202</article-id>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="other">jabs2025020202</article-id>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="manuscript">61-LQP-JABS</article-id>
                        <article-categories>
                            <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
                            <subject>Research Paper</subject>
                            </subj-group>
                        </article-categories>
                        <title-group>
                            <article-title>Assessment of Freshwater Fish Condition and Quality in Hor Abu Zarik Marsh during 2021–2022</article-title>
                        </title-group>
                        <contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
                                <name>
                                    <surname>Turki Wthiaj</surname>
                                    <given-names>Alyousif Basim</given-names>
                                </name>
                                <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">1</xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1">*</xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" >
                                <name>
                                    <surname>Al-Yousef</surname>
                                    <given-names>Jameelah </given-names>
                                </name>
                                <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">2</xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
                                    <label>1</label>
                                    <institution></institution>
                                    <addr-line></addr-line>
                                </aff><aff id="aff2">
                                    <label>2</label>
                                    <institution></institution>
                                    <addr-line></addr-line>
                                </aff>
                        <author-notes>
                            <corresp id="cor1">
                              <label>*</label>Corresponding author: Alyousif Basim (e-mail: <email>Basimalyousif@gmail.com</email>)
                            </corresp>
                        </author-notes>
                        <pub-date pub-type="epub">
                            <day>30</day>
                            <month>12</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <pub-date pub-type="received">
                            <day>21</day>
                            <month>07</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <pub-date pub-type="accepted">
                            <day>03</day>
                            <month>11</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <volume>2</volume>
                        <issue>2</issue>
                        <fpage>11</fpage>
                        <lpage>15</lpage>
                        <permissions>
                            <copyright-statement>©2026 the Author(s)</copyright-statement>
                            <copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
                            <copyright-holder>The Author(s)</copyright-holder>
                            <license license-type="open-access">
                            <ali:license_ref>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ali:license_ref>
                            <license-p>This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License</license-p>
                            </license>
                        </permissions>
                        <abstract><p>This study investigated four species of Iraqi freshwater fish collected from two locations in Hor Abu Zarik, situated west of the central marshes near the end of the Euphrates River in southern Iraq. The investigated species included three members of the order Cypriniformes-Barbus luteus, Barbus sharpeyi and Cyprinus carpio (common carp)-and one species of the order Perciformes, Liza abu. A total of 520 fish specimens were collected between December 2021 and May 2022 from two sampling stations in Hor Abu Zarik. All sampling activities were conducted during daylight hours using a cast net, which is locally recognized as one of the smallest traditional fishing nets. Morphometric measurements of the sampled fish were recorded and both condition factor and feeding intensity were evaluated. The results demonstrated that Barbus luteus and Barbus sharpeyi collected from the second sampling station exhibited the highest condition factor values among all studied fish species, reaching 2.27 and 2.03, respectively. In contrast, the condition factor values of Liza abu from both stations were relatively similar. Likewise, the condition factor values of Cyprinus carpio showed only slight variation between the two stations. Regarding morphometric characteristics, Barbus sharpeyi specimens collected from the second station exhibited greater body length and weight compared to those collected from the first station, whereas Liza abu specimens showed relatively similar length and weight measurements at both sampling locations.</p></abstract>
                        <kwd-group><kwd>Fish</kwd><kwd>Marsh</kwd><kwd>Abu Zark</kwd><kwd>Freshwater</kwd><kwd>Quality</kwd></kwd-group>
                    </article-meta>
                </front>
            </article>