Impact of increasing sea surface temperature on skipjack tuna habitat in the Flores Sea, Indonesia

Abstract

The Flores Sea is a water mass transfer route from two large oceans, namely the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean known as Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). This flow certainly has an impact on the waters it passes through, including the Flores Sea, making the Flores Sea a hotspot for changes in oceanographic conditions. This study used satellite data to determine the increase in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the Flores Sea during 2015-2019. It used the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) analysis to analyze the effect of increasing SST on skipjack tuna habitat in the Flores Sea. The results showed that there had been an increase in SST of up to 2.5 °C over the past five 15 years in the Flores Sea. This increase has affected pelagic fish habitat in these waters. This increase in SST affects the tuna skipjack habitat, as evidenced by the decrease in catches in areas with warmer temperatures than usual. This study is important in considering the sustainable management of tuna fisheries, especially in tropical waters.