ASFB Home > 2003 > Biological Invasions: Consequences for Parasites, Pathogens, Emerging Diseases, and Fisheries in the Marine Environment.

Artisanal Elasmobranch Fisheries in South-Eastern Indonesia: The Target Fishery for Large Batoids

William T. White¹, Pak Dharmadi², Pak Fahmi³ & Ian C. Potter¹

^1. Shark Research, Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research, Murdoch University, Murdoch WA 6150
^2. Research Institute for Marin Fisheries (RIMF), Muara Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia.
^3. Centre for Oceanological Research and Development (P30), Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Email: wwhite@central.murdoch.edu.au

Comprehensive surveys of the catches landed at five fish landing sites in south-eastern Indonesia were conducted on nine occasions between April 2001 and February 2003 to collect detailed catch composition data of the artisanal elasmobranch fisheries and characteristics of the gears used. A further six landing sites were also surveyed on at least one occasion during the study. A total of 137 species of elasmobranchs representing 26 families were recorded in this study with approximately 38 of these being potentially undescribed species. One of the most significant fisheries that target elasmobranchs is the demersal tangle/gill netting fishery for large rhynchobatid and dasyatid rays. The target fishery for dasyatid rays, which operates out of the fishing port of Muara Angke (Jakarta), in the Java Sea and off West Sumatra, is a particularly large operation with at least 10 boats landing per week, each with up to 30 tonnes of elasmobranchs. The main species observed in this fishery at this landing site were Himantura fai, H.jenkinsii, H. uarnacoides and Pastinachus sephen. The fleets that target rhynchobatid rays, which operate out of Benoa Harbour (Bali) and Merauke (Papua) in the Banda and Arafura Seas, comprise only several, but quite large, boats. It is likely that these vessels fish in similar locations as their catches are very similar and dominated by Rhynchobatus cf. australiae. The rays landed by these target fisheries are all delivered to a specialised processing area in Jakarta adjacent to the Muara Angke landing site.

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