Fish assemblage structure in relation to seagrass bed in Tidung Kecil Island, Kepulauan Seribu

Abstract

Seagrass provides many ecosystem services that are of beneficial to humans, including its role as a nursery ground for some commercial fishes. This ecosystem role depends on the structural complexity of seagrass beds. Yet few studies in Indonesia sought to associate seagrass with fish. The aim of this paper is to determine fish community response to different seagrass bed density. This study was carried out in the coastal waters of Tidung Kecil Island, Kepulauan Seribu. The fish observation was conducted using underwater visual census in stationary point count. The result showed that there were 21 species and S. canaliculatus was dominantly found. Fish abundance and fish community diversity index were found to be higher in seagrass beds with high densities compared to the seagrass beds with low density. The results of this study underline seagrass density can impact upon associated fish. This study provides the contribution of seagrass for coastal fisheries as a nursery ground. It is a way to promote the seagrass ecosystem to the society, therefore it can be considered into coastal policy.