Habitat characteristics and distribution of flyingfish in Fak-Fak and surrounding waters

Abstract

In Indonesia, flyingfish are abundant and distributed in Makassar Strait, Flores Sea, Banda Sea, Sulawesi Sea, Maluku Sea, Arafura, Northern Sea of Papua, and Halmahera. The aims of this study were to analyse and describe the characteristics of flyingfish habitat, based on oceanographic conditions and eggs catches, and to visualize the variability in spatial and temporal patterns of predicted potential spawning grounds. The research was conducted in Fak-Fak and adjacent seas in the Indonesian Fisheries Area WPP 715, from 130°−134° E and 2°S−5° S. Data were collected during 2018 for selected months: June, July, August and September. Remote sensing data used in this study included chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) OCI-Algorithm, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) 11μ daytime, Absolute Dynamic Topography (ADT), Significant Wave Height and Ocean Surface Current (meridian and zonal components). Fishery data were collected from fishermen’s GPS units, and through participatory mapping. Based on the mapping of fishing locations of flyingfish fishermen, there were four locations where fishing frequency was high. The potential fishing grounds were approximately 5-40 miles from mainland of Fak-Fak. Chlorophyll-a concentration in Fak-Fak waters ranged from 0.201–2.13 mg/m3. The temperature was estimated to be in the range of 27-31°C, with an average temperature of 27.1°C. ADT only changed by 0.01 cm in height each month with a range between 0.88–1.02 cm. Wind was one of the driving forces of geostrophic current. The waves reached a peak in August, with heights ranging from 0.70 to 1.6 metre. Flyingfish were predominantly found in oceanic zones.

Single Bale-Bale Technology: Sustainable Utilization of Flying Fish Eggs in the Waters of the Aru Islands, Indonesia

“…This indicates that the peak of flying fish egg captures in the waters of the Aru Islands is in July to August, with the presence of eggs in these waters for five months (May-September). Similar trends have been observed in flying fish resources in the waters Kei Islands [40], the Seram Sea [41,42], East Seram to Fakfak [43], and waters near Timor Leste [44].…”

Literature Review of Flying Fish: Biology, Distribution, Flying Fish Fisheries, and Current Research

“…Chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature, waves, depth and current speed affect the presence of flying fish. Flying fish are found in the chlorophyll-a range of 0.25 -0.70 mg/m³, sea surface temperatures of 27.5-29.5°C, current speeds of 25.0 -42.5 m/s (Zainuddin 2011) and waves between 0.70 -1.60 m (Boli et al 2019). A survey conducted by Churnside et al 2017 found schools of flying fish at an average depth of 5.27 m at night and 4.61 m during the day.…”

“…The abundance of flying fish is influenced by oceanographic conditions in the form of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, currents and waves (Boli et al 2019;Zainuddin 2011). In addition, the abundance and distribution of flying fish is also strongly influenced by the presence of upwelling in the waters.…”

Analysis of Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-A and Its Relationship with Catch Results Flying Fish Eggs in the Waters of the Kei Islands

“…Flying fish tend to look for spawning grounds that have oceanographic characteristics characterized by low SST and high chlorophyll-a (Boli et al, 2019). Flying fish will also choose spawning grounds with clear waters, lots of floating objects, and the presence of Sargassum seaweed.…”