Catching flying fish (Hirundichthys oxycephalus) in the central Makassar Strait fishing ground using drifting gillnet

Abstract

Abstract Catching flying fish (Hirundichthys oxycephalus) in the central of Makassar Strait using drifting gillnet with a mesh size of 2.54 and 3.18 cm was carried out in west and east season. Drifting gillnets with mesh size of 2.54 cm and 3.18 cm caught H. oxycephalus with a number of catches that varied every month throughout the season. The objective of this study was to compare CPUE rates of two different mesh size of gillnet and to describe the sea surface temperature conditions at the fishing ground locations. We conducted this research during east season (April-June). The study used satellite SST data combined with experimental fishing by operating one experimental unit of drifting gillnets with mesh size of 2.54 cm and 3.18 cm in the fishing area for 30 fishing trips. CPUE (kg hauling−1) was the amount of catch per hauling. The difference in catch between the mesh size of 2.54 and 3.18 cm was assessed by t-test analysis using SPSS software package. The results showed that CPUEs per piece of gillnets with the mesh size of 2.54 cm were ranged from 0.23 to 2.90 kg hauling−1 with 1.38 kg hauling−1 on average, while the CPUEs for the mesh size of 3.18 cm were ranged from 0.47 to 8.93 kg, with 3.28 kg hauling−1 on average. The t-test showed that mesh size of 3.18 cm was significantly different from the mesh size of 2.54 cm. CPUE of drifting gillnets with the mesh size of 3.18 cm higher than the mesh size of 2.54 cm and occupied the potential fishing grounds with relatively warmer SST of 29-31°C. This suggests that the gillnet mesh size of 3.18 cm is better than the other size for catching flying fish within the potential fishing grounds during April-June.