Fauna of the Halmahera Sea

The Halmahera Sea is a regional sea located in the central-eastern part of the Australasian Mediterranean Sea. It is located at approximately 1° south latitude and 129° east longitude and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north, Halmahera to the west, Waigeo and West Papua to the east, and the Seram Sea to the south. It has an area of about 95,000 km (59,000 mi) and its topography consists of a number of distinct basins and ridges, the main one being the Halmahera Basin. The average depth of the sea is 747 m, the greatest 2072 m. Surface water temperature from 25.7 °C in August to 28.6 °C in May. Salinity 34-34.6 ‰.

Fishing in the Halmahera Sea 

The Halmahera Sea is rich in bio-resources, except for the southern part which is poor in vegetation and plankton. Fishing vessels catch Pacific herring, Pacific bluefin tuna, Pacific jack mackerel, Indo-Pacific king mackerel, bluefin trevally, red emperor, five-lined snapper, sixspot goby, octopus. In coastal waters, sea cucumber, lobster, shrimp, pearl are caught. 

Eastern Halmahera Sea 

The Raja Ampat Archipelago, consisting of more than 1,500 islands, reefs and shoals, stretches from south to north from Misool Island to Waigeo Island in the eastern part of the sea. It is a large marine reserve where the most beautiful coral reefs are concentrated. Here, in an abundance of lagoons, bays and sea caves, there are 1309 species of fish, 537 species of coral and 699 species of mollusks, making this area extremely attractive to both experienced divers and casual tourists. Waigeo Island is home to a pearl farm. It is home to endangered and rare marine mammals such as dugong, blue whale, pygmy blue whale, Bryde's whale, Omura's whale, sperm whale, orca. 

South Halmahera Sea

Scientists note that the southern part of the Halmahera Sea has very little phytoplankton, algae and other underwater vegetation. But it is in this area that huge coral reefs grow, in and around which live a variety of marine life such as ocellaris clownfish, Ocean sunfish, Blackspotted puffer, Black-bar chromis, Cinnabar goatfish, Coral hawkfish, Golden damselfish, Moon wrasse, Pink skunk clownfish, Reticulate boxfish, Black-and-gold chromis and many other tropical fish. Large sea turtles, stingrays, barracudas and dolphins inhabit the depths. Shrimp and mollusks are abundant and provide food for larger and more predatory neighbors. 

Diving in Halmahera Sea

The Halmahera Sea has many pristine and uninhabited dive sites and a wide variety of landscapes. Here you can admire beautiful endemic corals and swim among rare fish such as Little dragonfish, Blue-girdled angelfish, Bluestriped fangblenny, Chevron butterflyfish, Blackside hawkfish, Blackstriped angelfish, Lemon damselfish, Orange skunk clownfish, Painted sweetlips, Purple anthias, Randall's prawn goby, Ring-eye pygmygoby, Scaly damsel, Staghorn damselfish, Talbot's demoiselle, Yellowbelly damselfish. 

Sharks in the Halmahera Sea

The Halmahera Sea is home to the whitetip reef shark, gray reef shark, blacktip reef shark and many other species. An unusual local endemic, the Cenderawasih epaulette shark, which uses its front four fins to crawl along the sea floor, has recently been discovered. These sharks are harmless to humans. The endangered whale shark, the world's largest living fish, also thrives in this region.