Aida Sartimbul, I Gusti Ayu Diah Hendiari, I. Wayan Arthana, Gde Raka Angga Kartika, Victor Adi Winata, Widodo Setiyo Pranowo, Raden Dwi Susanto, Erfan Rohadi, Nurul Muslihah, Defri Yona, Feni Iranawati
Sardinella lemuru is known as the native pelagic fish of the Bali Strait. However, its presence has recently become challenging to find. This study aimed to validate S. lemuru using molecular taxonomy and link it to water circulations for sustainable management. It is the first study of relatively complete sequence data on S. lemuru in the Bali Strait. A total of 47 sequences were amplified using the control region gene of mitochondrial DNA. Other S. lemuru (n = 4) and Amblygaster sirm (n = 12) sequences were retrieved from GenBank. Low sequence divergence is observed in clade-1 of S. lemuru across the Bali Strait, Manado-Sulawesi, and Kudat-Malaysia. This is probably due to its migration using the main Indonesian ThroughFlow (ITF). There is an evolutionary divergence between two groups of S. lemurs, measuring 35.3%±4.1. The first signs of these cryptic groups were found at Canggu and Prigi, with 87 base-pair differences between the two groups. This study also presents strong evidence that A. sirm prefers overlapping water mass conditions with S. lemuru in the Bali Strait but is morphologically and genetically distinct. Notably, three samples of A. sirm in Kedonganan-Bali are clustered with other A. sirm locations passed by the primary and secondary South China Sea throughflow. The high genetic diversity of S. lemuru among Bali Strait sites demonstrates its adaptive ability, with scattered single-frequency haplotypes. The adaptive ability traits of S. lemuru support its stock recovery. The stock recovery recommendation is based on finding S. lemuru’s adaptive traits within their populations in suitable habitats and climatic conditions. © 2025 Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Universitas Airlangga.
Department of Utilization of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, Indonesia; Marine Resources Exploration and Management (MEXMA) Research Group, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, Indonesia; Aquatic Resources Management Program, Faculty of Marine and Fisheries, Udayana University, Bali, Indonesia; Master’s Degree Program, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, Indonesia; Research Center for Climate and Atmosphere, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), East Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia; Department of Hydrography, Indonesian Naval Postgraduate School (STTAL), East Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Department of Information Technology, State Polytechnic of Malang, East Java, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, Indonesia
