Kepadatan dan Laju Pertumbuhan Bulu Babi (Tripneustes gratilla) di Perairan Letman, Kabupaten Maluku Tenggara - Rosita Silaban; Johny Dobo (Department of Marine Sciences, Trunojoyo University of Madura, Indonesia, 2023)
ABSTRAKAktivitas penangkapan biota padang lamun khususnya terhadap bulu babi cenderung ke arah penangkapan berlebih (over fishing). Pengambilan bulu babi di alam terus dilakukan tanpa mempertimbangkan aspek kelestariannya, sehingga ada kecenderungan populasi bulu babi tersebut menurun secara drastis dari tahun ke tahun. Penurunan stok bulu babi di alam akan semakin cepat jika tingkat eksploitasinya lebih sering dilakukan, karena penambahan individu baru (recruitment) dari populasi tersebut tidak sebanding dengan hasil tangkapan. Diperkirakan tingkat eksploitasi sumberdaya tersebut di alam telah melebihi batas yang diperbolehkan (over exploitation). Tujuan penelitian antara lain mengetahui dan menganalisis kepadatan dan laju pertumbuhan bulu babi (T. gratilla). Penelitian dilakukan di pesisir perairan Letman, Kepulauan Kei Kecil selama bulan September sampai November 2022 dengan dua kali pengambilan sampel setiap bulannya. Sampel bulu babi diperoleh dari hasil pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode belt transek pada saat air surut dan dipasang tegak lurus garis pantai ke arah laut. Kepadatan bulu babi di perairan Letman tergolong rendah dengan distribusi tidak merata terkait kedalaman dan tutupan lamun. diameter bulu babi yang tertangkap berkisar antara 1.7-8.8 cm dengan ukuran rata-rata 5.2 cm. Hasil analisis menunjukan bahwa pertumbuhan bulu babi bersifat allometrik negatif, lambat dan diameter infinitif kecil.Kata kunci: kepadatan, laju pertumbuhan, bulu babiABSTARCTFishing activities for seagrass biota, especially for sea urchins, tend to be over-fishing. Sea urchins are collected from nature without considering the aspect of sustainability, so there is a tendency for the sea urchin population to decrease drastically from year to year. The decline in sea urchin stocks in nature will accelerate if the level of exploitation is more frequent, because the addition of new individuals (recruitment) from the population is not proportional to the catch. It is estimated that the level of exploitation of these resources in nature has exceeded the permissible limits (over exploitation). The aims of the research included knowing and analyzing the density and growth rate of sea urchins (T. gratilla). The research is planned to be carried out in the coastal waters of Letman, Kei Kecil Islands from September to November 2022 with two samplings per month. Sea urchin samples were obtained from the results of sampling using the belt transect method at low tide and installed perpendicular to the shoreline towards the sea. The density of sea urchins in Letman waters is low with an uneven distribution regarding seagrass depth and cover. The diameter of the sea urchins caught ranged from 1.7-8.8 cm with an average size of 5.2 cm. The results of the analysis showed that the growth of sea urchins was negative allometric, slow and small infinitive diameter.Keywords: density, growth rate, sea urchins