The Fishing Ground of Large Pelagic Fish during the Southeast Monsoon in Indonesian Fisheries Management Area-713

Abstract Large pelagic fish (LPF hereafter) is an important group of fishes targeted by local fishermen in the Indonesian Fisheries Management Area-713 (IFMA-713). This IFMA includes the Makassar Strait, Flores Sea, Bali Sea, and Gulf of Bone. The objective of this study was to identify the preferred oceanographic conditions based on LPF fishing grounds in the study area. The experimental fishing was conducted from April to September 2018 by using local commercial fisheries (pole and line and purse seine). The fishing base of pole and line vessels operating in the Gulf of Bone was at Murante fish landing site, Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. On the other hand, the fishing base of purse seine vessels operating in the Makassar Strait was at Siddo fish landing site, Barru Regency, also in South Sulawesi. Oceanographic factors such as sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface chlorophyll-a (SSC) concentration, and depth were derived from satellite data. The LPF fishing grounds were analysed and visualize using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Based on the results, LPF distributions tended to be the highest in specific oceanographic conditions, including SST of 30.0 - 31.0 °C and SSC of 0.20 - 0.30 mg.m −3 . They were mostly found in nearshore and offshore areas (maximum depth of about 2,000 m). The selected oceanographic factors played an important role in explaining the LPF fishing grounds. This information could be used for spatial prediction of potential LPF fishing zones in relation to the fish distribution and abundance during the Southeast monsoon in the IFMA-713.