<![CDATA[Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) is one of Indonesia’s important fishery commodities with high economic value. However, limited information on length-based population characteristics, particularly from small-scale fisheries in Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 573, remains a challenge for evaluating stock utilization and supporting sustainable fisheries management. This study analyzed the fork length (FL) distribution of skipjack tuna caught by handline fisheries and landed at Oeba Fish Landing Base, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, during 2018–2022. A total of 33,568 individuals were measured using a structured sampling approach from handline landings. Fork length distributions were analyzed by year and fishing ground using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests. We used the Kruskal–Wallis test with pairwise comparisons to evaluate annual differences in fork length, and the two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test to assess differences in length-frequency distributions among fishing grounds. The results showed that skipjack tuna had a fork length range of 15–80 cm during the study period. Fork length distributions differed significantly among years, indicating temporal variation in catch size composition. Significant differences were also observed among fishing grounds, demonstrating spatial variation in length-frequency structures of handline-caught skipjack tuna. These findings provide improved baseline information on the size structure of skipjack tuna catches and support length-based fisheries assessment and adaptive management strategies in eastern Indonesian waters.]]>
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