Sustainable management of fisheries resources in Java Sea: Utilization status of longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) in Indramayu waters West Java case study

Abstract

Longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) is a pelagic fish which is generally found in tropical waters. Research on fishery resource sustainability by applying bioeconomic and length weight assessments is necessary to be done in order to determine status of longtail tuna. This research was conducted in south part of Java Sea namely Indramayu waters West Java from January 2020 to April 2020 which aims to estimate utilization status of longtail tuna (T. tonggol) namely exploitation rate, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), Total Allowable Catch (TAC), Maximum Economic Yield (MEY), and Open Access (OA), and to determine length and weight relationship. The research used quantitative descriptive method based on catch and effort data from 2010 to 2019 as well as length weight primary data as much as 987 fish. Result showed that catch and effort at MSY level was 8,453 tons/year and 2,974 trips/year respectively with value of TAC as much as 6,762 ton/year. While the estimated values of catch and effort at MEY level was 8,168 tons/year and 2,427 trips/year with optimum profit as much as 88.98 billion Indonesia dollar rupiah (IDR). Another analysis indicated that OA level was achieved when effort reached at 4,855 trips/year and whilst exploitation rate was 93%. Meanwhile length weight relationship analysis showed that fish had a balance length weight growth which b value = 3.039 with equation W = 0.0147L3.0393. In conclusion, the fish has an isometric length weight relationship and the utilization status of fish is in fully exploited condition hence additional fishing effort must be prohibited in order to maintain stock sustainability.