Study of Plankton Aspects for the Development of Eucheuma Cottoni Seaweed Cultivation at Barombong Beach, Makassar, Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to determine the possibility of developing Eucheuma cottoni seaweed cultivation based on the aspect of the presence of plankton on Barombong Beach, Makassar. This research was conducted for 2 (two) months, namely from February to March 2021, by conducting 4 (four) sampling times. Determination of research locations based on differences in environmental characteristics at each research location. Station 1 (ST 1) is located around residential areas, Station 2 (ST 2) is located around the Barombong sports building, and Station 3 (ST 3) is located around the Jeneberang River Estuary. The tool used is a plankton net to capture plankton in the waters. The plankton parameters observed included plankton abundance, diversity index, and dominance. The data that has been collected is then analyzed by descriptive analysis. The results showed that the highest level of plankton abundance occurred at Station 2 compared to other locations. The plankton diversity index in this research was quite high, with the highest level of diversity index also at Station 2. Furthermore, the highest dominance aspect also occurs at Station 2 compared to other stations. However, from the aspect of the presence of plankton, the research location is still possible to develop Eucheuma cottoni seaweed cultivation.