Impact of climate variability on skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) catches in the Indonesian Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 715

Abstract

Marine and fisheries resources have trans-boundary nature and have great potential to be affected by global climate change. Tuna is one of the main export commodities from Indonesia. Patterns of fish life can not be separated from the existence of various environmental conditions. Fluctuations in environmental conditions have many influences on the seasonal migration period and the presence of fish in one place. This study aimed to determine the variability in peak season of tuna fishing to regional climate change, El Nino and La Nina, with the aim to optimize the utilization of Skipjack tuna. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to investigate the direct correlation between Skipjack tuna catches during 2015 - 2019 and regional climate changes that occurred in those periods, i.e., El Nino (2015-2019) and La Nina (2015-2019). Sampling and measurement times were performed at the end of the East season, which was from September to December 2019. The results of this study show that regional climate change affected inter-monthly variation of the peak seasons of Skipjack fishing in the fisheries management (FMA) 715 area. During El Nino, FMA 715 was an ideal place for Skipjack tuna fishing. The peak fishing season was in October for the period from September to November. The regional climate change triggered from the Pacific Ocean caused the unsuitable water conditions in the FMA 715 for Skipjack tuna fishing. Variability of climate changes triggered by La Nina in the Pacific Ocean did not provide a favorable environment for fish migration to the FMA 715 waters.