Nike (Awaous melanocephalus) Fishery and Mercury Contamination in the Estuary of BoneBolango River

Abstract

Nike fish (Awaous melanocephalus) is a tiny-kind of fish harvested lunar-monthly in the estuary of BoneBolango River in the City of Gorontalo. The fishing activity is showing steady increase recently as the commodity finds its way to the international market. Fishermen are putting more efforts by escalating the catching capacity of their gears. Meanwhile, mercury used by the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the headwaters for amalgamation put another aspect to the A. melanocephalus fishery when it wasted into the river down to the estuary. This paper describes A. melanocephalus fishery and the threat of mercury contamination in the habitat and the fish itself. Field research was conducted in the estuary of Bone-Bolango River to observe the technology and methods of A. melanocephalus fishing. Samples of water and fish were taken for mercury content examination with Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Secondary data on production and distribution were obtained from government offices. The result showed that the water and A. melanocephalus samples contain mercury at levels exceeding the quality standards determined by government. Keywords: nike, mercury, food security, sustainable fishery