Shrimps distribution and their relationship to the environmental variables in Arafura Sea
Tirtadanu (1,2*), Khairul Amri (1,2), Asep Makmun (3), Asep Priatna (1,2), Andina Ramadhani Putri Pane (1,2), Karsono Wagiyo (1,2), Helman Nur Yusuf (1,2)

(1) Research Institute for Marine Fisheries, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta
(2) Research Center for Fishery, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
(3) Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University, Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands, Indonesia

*tirtadanu91[at]gmail.com

Abstract

Arafura Sea is well-known as the important area for commercial shrimp fisheries in Indonesia. The density of shrimps was highly influenced by their fishing pressure and environmental condition. The objective of this research was to study the distribution of shrimps based on its stock density and their relationship with the environmental variables. Trawling swept area method was used in 16 sampling sites of Arafura Sea during the transition monsoon in October 2016. Some environmental variables in bottom layers as shrimp habitat were measured, including chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, depth, salinity, temperature and pH. The results showed that the largest density of shrimps was found in the southern coast of Aru where it has largest concentration of chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen. Among all the environmental variables, Chlorophyll was the main variable affected the density of shrimps. Three most dominant species were Penaeus semisulcatus, Metapenaeus endeavouri and Metapenaeus ensis. There is indication of the decreasing shrimp stock in Arafura Sea. The ecosystem-based fisheries management should be developed to rebuild the stock density and to enhance the environmental quality of Arafura Sea.

Keywords: Coast of Aru- Chlorophyll-a, Penaeus semisulcatus, Density of shrimps- Transition monsoon

Topic: Sustainable Fisheries (International)