Impact of Marine Debris to Fishing Operation at Ambon Bay

Marine debris is a serious problem around the world. The entry of garbage into the sea not only threatens the survival of various marine organisms but also disturbs fishing activities, thereby reducing fishermen’s production and income. This study aimed to identify the fishing gear damaged by marine debris during fishing operations and analyze how much the marine debris impacted the production of various fishing units. Data were obtained from 101 fishermen operating at Ambon Bay by observation, interview, and descriptive analysis. Obstacles by the trash during fishing operations are among the trash twisted or attached to fishing gear; trash are twisted at the propeller of the boat and damage the fishing gear. On the fishing line group, the main hurdle is on the vertical hand line, where the trash are entangled at the hook; on the gill net group, the main hurdle is on the bottom gill net, where the trash are twisted to body net; and on the seine group, the main constraint is on the beach seine, where the trash are trapped in the cod end. This condition causes a decline in production, with the biggest impact on the bottom gill net, with a decrease in production of 4.38% from the average production per trip.