On The Assessment of White-Spotted Rabbitfish (Siganus Canaliculatus Park, 1797) Stock in The Inner Ambon Bay, Indonesia

Abstract

Information pertaining stock assessment of the white-spotted rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus Park,1797) in the Inner Ambon Bay has been limited to the last study conducted more than two decades ago. The present study was aimed to estimate the stock parameters of this species emphasizing on estimated growth, mortality, recruitment, and exploitation rate. The study was conducted in the Inner Ambon Bay during August 2018 - July 2019 with monthly interval sampling campaign. Fish collection was made by beach seine from which the white spotted rabbitfish total length was measured. Analysis and calculation were largely based on the FISAT II package. The following results were obtained: asymptote length (L∞) 30.55 cm, growth coefficient (K) 1.51 year-1, and the theoretical age when the fish length is zero (t0) was -0,243 years, therefore the growth equation is Lt = 30.55[1 − e The natural mortality rate (M), fishing mortality (F) and total mortality (Z) was 2.37 year-1, 2.18 year-1 and 4.54 year- 1, at the current exploitation level of (Ecurr) 0.48, maximum economic yield (E10) was 0.47 and maximum sustainable yield (Emax) was 0.56, indicating that exploitation rate has exceeded its sustainable conditions, therefore limitation of fishing effort should be adopted as a management measure.