Identification of Surface Current Patterns in Small Pelagic Fishing Areas in the Western Season of the Spermonde Islands, Indonesia

Abstract

Monsoonal wind commonly affects Indonesian waters, blowing in an adversative direction by turns in one year. These are well-known as west and east monsoonal winds. Spermonde Archipelago waters, located on the west coast of the southern part of South Sulawesi, is a water region comprising various islands with relatively shallow waters and situated in Makassar Strait. The study aimed to identify the pattern of current surface movement in each monsoon period, especially on the west monsoon on Small Pelagic Fish Catches Area. Data used in this study consisted of primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained in the field for three months (April to Jun, second monsoonal transition monsoon into east monsoon). In December, the wind pattern was dominated from the northwest with a maximum speed of 8 knots. The surface current pattern offshore was from the south (0.16 m/s) to the north with decreasing speed (0.03 m/s). Meanwhile, in low tide, the current surface pattern offshore was from the north (speed may reach up to 0.04 m/s) to the south with an increasing speed of 0.20 m/s. The peak of the west monsoon occurs in January to February with high rainfall, and wind speed is dominated from south-west and west directions. Current pattern occurred in the offshore, either at high or low tide, showed similar pattern, which was divided into east and south directions.