Applicability of remote sensing oceanographic data in the detection of potential fishing grounds of Rastrelliger kanagurta in the archipelagic waters of Spermonde, Indonesia

Rastrelliger kanagurta is among the pelagic fish of commercial value caught in the archipelagic waters of Spermonde, Indonesia. The dynamic oceanographic pattern in this area influences the distribution of this pelagic fish. Understanding the relationship between the distribution of fish and environmental factors is important in exploring fisheries resources. This study used Rastrelliger kanagurta fishing-catch data during the high-catch season in the second quarter, which was from April to June (2008 and 2009), and satellite data of chlorophyll-a (chl-a), and sea surface temperature (SST) from MODIS-Aqua. The study aimed to identify the relationship between fish distribution with chl-a and SST constructed using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM), detect the potential fishing grounds, and determine the impact of climate change on fish distribution based on temperature projection of IPCC-AR5-RCPs. The distribution of Rastrelliger kanagurta was significantly associated (p<0.0001) with the preferred range of chl-a at 0.30–0.40mg/m3 and SST at 30.00–31.00°C. The potential fishing ground maps showed that areas with high potential catch were located near the coast to offshore (3–20M), with acceptable level of map accuracy at 83.34%; with kappa value at 0.70. Increased temperature of 1.80°C resulted in movement of potential fishing grounds to the southern part of Makassar Straits leading to the archipelagic waters of Spermonde. In contrast, increased temperature of 2.60°C and 3.30°C resulted in lesser potential fishing grounds area which shifted further to the south. The results of this study indicated applicability of remote sensing in contributing to optimal fishing effort and decision making for long-term management of Rastrelliger kanagurta resources.