Abstract
In order to understand the behaviour of fishermen in allocating of gear, the study on the temporal dynamics of landings and gear allocation was conducted in Pelabuhanratu Bay, Indonesia. Five types of gear were used to capture eight main target species of the small-scale fisheries of Pelabuhanratu Bay. Two unique gear types were defined based on the landing species composition by gear: single-target species gear (hand lines and fixed gillnets) and multi-target species gear (seine nets, outboard gillnets and lift nets). The results showed that both monthly pattern of landings and gear allocations fluctuated temporally. Except for hand lines, most types of gear allocation were concentrated more intensively during the dry season, coinciding with the increase of target species landings. The monthly gear allocations of multi-target species gear were significantly correlated with the landings. No significant correlation between the single-target species gear allocation and landing dynamics was observed. In order to minimize the uncertainty of landings, depending on types and flexibility of vessel activities, fishermen have developed different behaviors. In short-term periods (monthly), depending on the gear types, fishermen responded to the dynamics of landings by reducing fishing operations or changing the target species. In long-term periods, depending on the flexibility of vessel, fishermen switched to operate other gear.
