Monitoring Hiu Paus (Rhyncodon typus) di Perairan Desa Botubarani, Kecamatan Kabila Bone, Kabupaten Bone Bolango, Provinsi Gorontalo

Whale Shark (Rhyncodon Typus) Monitoring In The Waters Of Botubarani Village, Kabila Bone District, Bone Bolango District, Gorontalo Province

Abstract

In Indonesian waters, whale sharks are often found near beaches or river estuaries. Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is one of the three species of whales whose eating habits are carried out by pumping and filtering (filter feeder). The aims of this research are to find out the population, size, injuries and behavior of whale sharks in Botubarani waters, Gorontalo. The methods used were photo IDs method to differentiate between one individual from another, direct or visual monitoring method to record injuries, sex and behavior of whale sharks. There were 11 individuals have been identified in March 2020, 2 of them were new individuals or have never been identified beforehand. The length average was 5-6.5 meters (juvenile), the smallest was 3.5 meters, while the longest reached 6.7 meters and all identified individuals were male. The injuries found on the bodies of whale sharks were caused by tourism activities. There were several factors that caused whale sharks went in and out of the interaction zone, namely the feeding of tourists and fishermen, the presence of Nike (Awaous melancehalus) and the weather, such as waves and wind in Botubarani waters, Gorontalo.