Tingkah Laku dan Kemunculan Hiu Paus (Rhincodon typus, Smith 1828) di Pantai Bentar Probolinggo

Abstract

Hiu Paus diketahui muncul di Pantai Bentar dari bulan Desember hingga Maret. Kemunculan Hiu Paus diduga berhubungn dengan aktivitas makan. Fenomena ini dimanfaatkan oleh masyarakat sekitar Pantai Bentar untuk menarik kedatangan wisatawan. Kondisi tersebut berpotensi menimbulkan dampak negatif bagi Hiu Paus. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui lokasi kemunculan Hiu Paus di Pantai Bentar serta perubahan tingkah laku Hiu Paus saat kegiatan wisata berlangsung. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Maret 2021 menggunakan metode observasi langsung dengan melakukan pengamatan di lokasi yang diduga menjadi tempat kemunculan Hiu Paus. Data tambahan diperoleh dari hasil wawancara dengan pengelola dan pemandu wisata. Lokasi kemunculan dicatat menggunakan GPS. Total lokasi kemunculan yang ditemukan berjumlah 9 lokasi yang tersebar di Perairan Gending, yaitu di bagian barat dan timur Pantai Bentar. Kemunculan terbanyak berada di timur Pantai Bentar. Hal ini karena wilayah tersebut dekat dengan bagan dan menjadi wilayah pelayaran nelayan Ikan Teri yang merupakan makanan Hiu Paus. Hiu Paus yang ditemukan berjumlah 9 ekor. Tingkah laku Hiu Paus yang ditemukan ketika aktivitas wisata berlangsung, yaitu perubahan secara perlahan seperti menyelam dan mendekat secara perlahan, perubahan mendadak seperti menjauh secara mendadak, perubahan secara tajam seperti menjauh secara tajam dan tidak merespon. Faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan tingkah laku diduga karena adanya aktivitas yang dilakukan oleh manusia seperti berenang, mengejar Hiu Paus, melihat dari kapal, pelayaran kapal dan pemberian pakan. Hasil dari penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberi masukan dalam pengelolaan wisata Hiu Paus Pantai Bentar. Whale sharks are known to appear at Bentar Beach from December to March. The appearance of whale sharks is thought to be related to feeding activities. This phenomenon is used by the community around Bentar Beach to attract tourist arrivals. This condition has the potential to have a negative impact on the whale sharks. This study aims to determine the location of the appearance of whale sharks on Bentar Beach and changes in whale shark behavior during tourism activities. The study was conducted in March 2021 using the direct observation method by making observations at the location suspected to be the place where the Whale Shark appeared. Additional data obtained from interviews with managers and tour guides. The location of occurrence is recorded using GPS. The total location of the emergence found was 9 locations scattered in Gending Waters, namely in the west and east of Bentar Beach. Most occurrences are in the east of Bentar Beach. This is because the area is close to Bagan and is a shipping area for Anchovy fishermen which are the food for whale sharks. There were 9 whale sharks observed. Whale Shark behavior found during tourist activities, namely slow changes such as diving and approaching slowly, sudden changes such as moving away suddenly, sharp changes such as moving away sharply and not responding. Factors that influence behavior change are thought to be due to activities carried out by humans such as swimming, chasing whale sharks, watching from ships, ship sailing and feeding. The results of this study are expected to provide input in the management of Whale Shark tourism in Bentar Beach.

Seasonal Constellation of Juvenile Whale Sharks in Gorontalo Bay Coastal Park

“…Meanwhile, juvenile whale sharks tend to be found congregating in shallow waters near the coast (Dove and Pierce, 2021). In Indonesia, the whale shark is also found in Cenderawasih Bay, Papua (Manuhutu et al, 2021), Talisayan waters, Kalimantan (Himawan et al, 2017), and Probolinggo waters (Syah et al, 2018;Kapinangasih et al, 2022). Large adult whale sharks are rarely found on the coasts because of their diving abilities and adaptations that allow them to obtain more prey in deep waters (Dove and Pierce, 2021).…”

“…Whale shark migration patterns are generally driven by foraging and reproductive opportunities (Rohner et al, 2015). By instinct, whale sharks move from one place to another to look for food and continue their life cycle (Kapinangasih et al, 2022). This is related to the natural nature of whale sharks as a species with a high migration rate (highly migratory) over distances of thousands of kilometers (Rowat and Gore, 2007) to areas with high productivity, such as research results on whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico (Motta et al, 2010) and in the Philippines (McCoy et al, 2018).…”

“…In several countries with regular seasonal constellation patterns, whale shark ecotourism areas have developed and attracted many tourists, such as in Oslob, Philippines (Craven, 2012), Isla Holbox, Mexico (Ziegler et al, 2012) and Ningaloo Reef, Australia (Mau, 2008). In Indonesia, several locations have been developed into whale shark tourism destinations such as Kwatisore Waters, Cendrawasih Bay National Park, Papua (Maruanaya et al, 2022), Bentar Beach Waters, Probolinggo (Kapinangasih et al, 2022), Labuhan Jambu Waters in Saleh Bay, Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara and Botubarani Waters, Gorontalo (Djunaidi et al, 2020).…”

Ekowisata Berbasis Hiu Paus di Indonesia: Strategi Konservasi Atau Ancaman Baru?

“…Sedangkan di Indonesia, hiu paus sering ditemukan di wilayah-wilayah tertentu, antara lain: Kabupaten Probolinggo, Jawa Timur (Kapinangsih et al, 2022;Syah et al, 2018), Kabupaten Berau, Kalimantan Timur (Saparinah et al, 2019), Kabupaten Bone Bolango, Gorontalo (Monoarfa et al, 2020;Rombe et al, 2022), Sumbawa, NTB (Azizurrohman et al, 2021), dan Kabupaten Nabire, Papua (Suruan et al, 2018).…”

Penyadartahuan Terhadap Keberlanjutan Biota Laut Melalui Diseminasi Perlindungan Hiu Paus Di Wilayah Perairan Batang, Jawa Tengah

“…Kemunculan hiu paus di perairan Indonesia menjadi hal yang tidak asing bagi kalangan orang. Menurut (Kapinangasih et al, 2022;Suruan et al, 2020) kemunculan hiu paus dipengaruhi oleh keberadaan makanan di perairan sekitar (Murdani, 2017). Kemunculan hiu paus ini bisa menjadi manfaat bagi kalangan masyarakat pesisir seperti menjadi area ekowisata (Azizurrohman et al, 2021) di area setempat.…”