Influence of physical, chemical, and biological parameters on the productivity of seaweed cultivation on the South Coast of South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The production of the seaweed cultivation ecosystem is greatly influenced by the dynamics of physical, chemical, and biological factors in the waters. The purpose of this study was to see how the dynamics of physical, chemical, and biological waters affect the productivity of seaweed cultivation, Eucheuma denticulatum and Eucheuma cottonii, in the nearshore and farshore areas in Jeneponto, Bantaeng, and Bulukumba Regencies, South Sulawesi. The parameters of the dynamics of physics, chemistry, and biology are critical to know to support efforts to move cultivation from the sea to ponds (moving house) for seaweed E. denticulatum and E. cottonii. Data collected during the study included temperature, salinity, current, ice-ice attacks or pathogenic bacteria attacks, and epiphyte proliferation. The results showed that although the volume of seaweed production in the nearshore and foreshore areas was relatively the same, the productive period was different. The difference in seaweed production periods near the coast and offshore was influenced by the following factors: ice-ice attacks were correlated with high salinity near the coast and low salinity offshore. In contrast, high production near the coast is characterized by relatively high temperatures and relatively low salinity. The results of this study indicate the importance of managing the dynamics of water physics, chemistry, and biology in optimizing the movement of E. denticulatum and E. cottoni.
Key Words: Eucheuma denticulatum, Eucheuma cottonii, productivity, ice-ice, epiphytes, seaweed cultivation.