Variability in fish catch rates associated with Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly (Niño 3.4 index) in the West of Java Sea

The remotely derived oceanographic variables included sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a (Chl a) and fish catches are used as a combined dataset to understand the ocean climate variability and further addresses their relations with the fish catches in the West-Java Sea. Fish catches and remotely sensed data are analyzed for the 5 years datasets from 2010-2014 and emphasized the differences of climate conditions during El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Here, we demonstrate the prominent annual variation of two species small pelagic fish catches (Euthynus affinis and Scomberomorus commerson) and one demersal species (Netuma thallasina) as representative of dominant catch in the region. Small pelagic catches had significant increment during El Niño compared to during La Niña events. Changes in oceanographic conditions during ENSO events resulted in perceivable variations in catches, with an average catches of 839.6 t (E. affinis) and 273,7 t (S. commerson) during El Niño. During La Niña event catch rates were reduced with an average catches of 602.6 t (E. affinis) and 210.3 t (S. commerson). During the La Niña event was less favorable for small pelagic catches. In contrast, N. thallasina does not seem to be directly affected by the ENSO. The average catches of N. thallasina during El Niño (182.17 t) lower than during La Niña (250.14 t). This inferred that different climate events might cause different oceanographic conditions that related to fish biodiversity. Our results would benefit the fish biodiversity-management to reduce risks due to climate regimes