Husain Latuconsina, Ilham Zulfahmi, Hamdani Dwi Prasetyo, Ahmad Muhtadi Rangkuti, Muhammad Nur, Neri Kautsari, Ilham Marasabessy
The seagrass ecosystem is an important habitat for ichthyofauna in coastal waters and small islands in tropical areas. The richness of ichthyofauna species in seagrass habitats is highly dependent on the physical characteristics of the habitat and the support of other nearby habitats. This research aims to compare the number of species, families and orders of ichthyofauna among different seagrass habitats in the waters of a semi-enclosed bay. The research stations were based on different seagrass habitats in Inner Ambon Bay (IAB), Maluku, Indonesia, single-vegetation seagrass meadows and mixed-vegetation seagrass meadows. We conducted fish sampling using beach seines at monthly intervals for one year. We collected a total of 10,772 fish specimens representing 123 species from 46 families and 22 orders. Of note, 69.1% were juveniles. Different species were present in different seagrass habitats, each with its own physical characteristics. Fish abundance, species richness, and similarity indices were higher in mixed-vegetation seagrass habitats than single vegetation habitats. Proximity between seagrass habitats supports high similarity in species, families and orders. Therefore, protecting different types of seagrass habitats is the right strategy for supporting the abundance and diversity of the ichthyofauna. In addition, the protection of habitats surrounding seagrass meadows, such as mangroves and coral reefs, which are ecologically linked through tidal migration of ichthyofauna, is also important to support the conservation of ichthyofauna to achieve sustainable fisheries use in IAB to support food security. © 2025, Society for Indonesian Biodiversity. All rights reserved.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Islam Malang, Jl. Mayjen Haryono No. 193, East Java, Malang, 65144, Indonesia; Program Study of Fisheries Resources Utilization, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Jl. Teuku Nyak Arief No. 441, Aceh, Kopelma Darussalam, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia; Program Study of Aquatic Resources Management, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Prof. A. Sofyan No. 3, North Sumatra, Medan, 20222, Indonesia; Program Study of Aquaculture, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Universitas Sulawesi Barat, Jl. Prof. Dr. Baharuddin Lopa, Majene, West Sulawesi, 91412, Indonesia; Program Study of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Animal Science and Fisheries, Universitas Samawa, Jl. Raya Samongkat, West Nusa Tenggara, Sumbawa, 84341, Indonesia; Program Study of Fisheries Resources Utilization, Faculty of Fisheries, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sorong, Jl. Pendidikan No. 27, West Papua, Sorong, 98416, Indonesia
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