Biodiversity of commercially important groupers (Epinephelidae) in Aceh, Indonesia: A checklist

Abstract

The groupers, locally known as “kerapu” in Indonesia, are commercially valuable fish in Indonesia, including Aceh. The groupers are the first fish family to be plundered in most countries’ fisheries industries. However, the biodiversity information of the groupers fished in Aceh is limited. This study was aimed to inventories the grouper species landed in Aceh fish landing sites. The data collection was performed in some fish landing locations (TPI) located in Aceh. In general, this study revealed that Aceh has high grouper diversity. In total, 35 species of the Epinephelidae family were recorded. Epinephelus was the dominant genus found, followed by Cephalopholis, Plectropomus, Variola, Aethaloperca, Anyperodon, and Hyporthodus. Simeulue, Weh island, and Banda Aceh were the locations with the highest diversity of grouper in Aceh. Overall, the data collected from this study would be beneficial for the future management plan of grouper in Aceh and Indonesia.