Distribution of Water Quality Parameters and Their Implications for Habitat White Shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis) in Bintuni Bay, West Papua Indonesia

¹ Department Marine Science, Faculty Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Papua, Manokwari West Papua, Indonesia
² Graduate Program of Aquatic Resources, Universitas Papua, Manokwari West Papua, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Teluk Bintuni Regency covers 20,840.83 km², representing approximately 20.6% of West Papua Province. Central to this region is Bintuni Bay, a semi-enclosed estuarine system connected to Berau Bay on the western side. The bay provides a favourable habitat for the white shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis), making the area well known for its white shrimp production, together with capture fisheries and crab harvesting. Given that white shrimp depends on stable environmental conditions, this study aimed to assess key water quality parameters in Bintuni Bay and document shrimp landings during the research period. Temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured in-situ at 19 sampling stations, and the data were spatially interpolated to illustrate environmental patterns across the harvesting zones. The shrimp catch volumes and fishing locations were obtained through interviews with local fishers. Results showed temperature ranges of 20-36 °C, salinity of 17-29 ppt, pH of 6.6-9.12, and DO of 4.6-6.9 mg/L, indicating conditions suitable for sustaining white shrimp populations. The major harvesting areas included RKI, Tabaresi, Pera-pera, Magarina, Asrin, Weriagar, Otoweri, RKI and Pera-pera. RKI and Pera-pera producing the highest yields of shrimp in this bay.