Effect of rainfall on water condition and catch results of eel (Anguilla spp.) in Cicatih River, Sukabumi, West Java

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest eel catches in the world and is very vulnerable to climate change, especially with rainfall. Rainfall affects fishing activities and the surrounding aquatic environment. Fish resources in the Cicatih River are quite diverse, one of which is high economic fish, namely eel. This study aims to provide information about rainfall’s effect on eel catch results in Cicatih Rives, Sukabumi Regency. Sampling was conducted for six months, from August 2021 to January 2022. The method I use in this research is water condition and relationship analysis for water quality using APHA 2017 and analysis of the relationship between rainfall and fish catches. The result shows that the water quality of the Cicatih River is still in the optimal range for eel life. Still, there are water chemistry parameters that exceed the quality standard, and total nitrogen levels exceed 10mg/l. Most of the large eels in the Cicatih River were caught in the rainy season. Rainfall also affects the duration when fishing, and it is negatively correlated. High rainfall affects the time of fishing, which in turn affects the number of eel catches.