Evaluation of the Handline Fleet Fishing Season at the Palabuhanratu Nusantara Fishing Port, Indonesia

Small-scale capture fisheries are the most dominant group in Indonesia and occupy >90% of the total fishermen and existing fishing fleets. Handline is one of the small-scale capture fisheries fleets that can generally be found in various fishing areas in Indonesia, one of which is around Palabuhanratu Bay, Sukabumi. This study evaluated the fishing season of small-scale handline fleets with a loading capacity of <5 GT. Data on catches and the number of fishing trips were monthly collected for 5 years from 2019 to 2023. Data were obtained from the Sukabumi Central Agency for Capture Fisheries Statistics, which were validated based on data from the handline fishing group's fishing logbook at the Palabuhanratu Nusantara Fishing Port. The fishing season evaluation was executed using the average monthly productivity value of the main catch of the handline fleet. A composition analysis showed that 15 fish species were successfully identified as the catch of the handline fleet. Overall, the ribbonfish (Trichiurus lepturus) is the main catch of this fleet with a composition of >55% in each fishing activity. The productivity value of the handline fleet's catch over the past 5 years shows a downward trend of 4.26% per year. The analysis of the fishing season based on the ribbonfish productivity shows that the peak fishing season was during the transition from the east season to the west season in September-November, with the highest peak catch in October. The lean season was in the west season in December-February, with the lowest point in February.