Aquatic mammals assessment in Indonesian waters

Abstract

The current paper presents brief information on aquatic mammal assessment in Indonesia, summarized from the existing literature. Results indicate that there are more than one third of all known Cetacean species worldwide and one species of Sirenian in Indonesian water. In terms of conservation, Indonesia has ratified CITES. Under the Government Decree No. 7/1999 internal trade cannot be allowed. While the exploitation of aquatic mammals is permitted to the traditional hunting and limited trade e.g. barter. Such activities only happened in the remote area e.g. Lamalera and Lamakera in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Eastern Indonesia. The target animal catch is sperm whale, and after a few years the catch number has decreased significantly. The cause of this happening is still unknown. This basic information would stimulate Indonesia to do research more intensively for better managing the aquatic mammals in Indonesian waters.