ABSTRACT

ANDI ASSIR, Analysis of Design, Construction and Performance of Fyke Net

for Environmental Friendly Catching of Reef Fish. Supervised by ARI
PURBAYANTO, INDRA JAYA, and DANIEL R. MONINTJA.
Study on fishing operation of fyke net was conducted at reef waters at the
west coast of Selayar Island from November 2008 to October 2010. The main
objective of this research is to determine the best design and technical operation
for environmental friendly catching of reef fish. Fyke net is chosen as an
experimental fishing gear because its shape is a combination between basket
trapnet bubu, traditional fishing gear which is cosidered as environmental
friendly fishing gear for catching coral reef fish and fence setnet (sero) shape. The
first design of the experimantal fyke net follows the original shape, support with 5
rectangular steel frames and surrounding by 0.75 inch of webbing 5 m in length,
1.8 m in width and 1.2 m in height. It has two 2 m fixed and 15 m flexible extended
wings. Unlike bubu, fyke net has not use bait for attracting the fish, therefore
the entrance of fyke net should be large enough to make the fish entering freely. In
two months of operations the fyke net did not show satisfactory results because
the fish moved back and forward through the entrance of fyke net easily and the
main problem was bycatch of turtels, therefore the second fyke net was designed.
The new feature of the second fyke net was playground with rectangular vertical
opening. The size of the opening was 150 x 15 cm devided into seven small
entrances in order to protect the turtles entering the gear. To keep the fish inside
the playground some 40 cm cableties are tied at the frame of the entrance
functioning as shieves. In two months of operations the second fyke net was show
better results however the new problem was the weight of the gear became
heavier because of the increase of diameter of steelframe used, therefore, the third
fyke net was designed to find a lighter gear. The third fyke net was supported by a
rectangular polyvinil chloride (PVC) tube frames combined by polyethylene
ropes, covered by 1.25 inch of webbing. No more turtles was caught but more life
reef fish was caught. To evaluate which design and methods of operation was
better, three types of fyke nets and two methods of operations were examined.
RAPFISH (Rapid Appraisal of Fish Status) is used to analyze which type of fyke
net is the most suitable for reef fishing and to analyze the status of fyke net as an
environmental friendly fishing gear. RAPFISH applies a statistical ordination
technique called multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). Based on this analysis the
third fyke net, lighter gear with PVC tube frames, shows the best value for it
performance and technical operations, and fyke net is an environmental friendly
fishing gear (value >50.0 in the range of 0 - 100). Ecological asapects gave the
highest value for the status of fyke net as an environmental friendly fishing gear
followed by ethical, technological, social and economical aspects.
Key words: fyke net, fish behavior, coral reef fishing, selectivity, environmental friendly,
RAPFISH