Species diversity of wrasses caught by fishermen in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Wrasses are reef fish that play an important role in maintaining the health of coral reef ecosystems. Some species of wrasse, such as the Napoleon wrasse Cheilinus undulates, have high economic value and are threatened with overexploitation. This study aims to analyse the species diversity of wrasses caught by fishermen operating in the Spermonde Islands, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The study was conducted from January 2018 to May 2019, on a monthly basis. Sampling was carried out by collecting all wrasses landed on one chosen day at Makassar Fisheries Port. The species diversity parameters observed were the species name and the number of individuals of each species. Based on these data, the diversity index, evenness index, domination index, and similarity index were calculated. Wrasse diversity was always in the medium range, indicating that ecologically wrasse habitat is still quite productive and has remained balanced over a considerable period time. It appeared that capture fisheries had not caused serious problems for the wrasse community diversity and structure.