Fauna of the Java Sea

     An inter-island sea in the Pacific Ocean between the islands of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra and Java. The sea has an area of 552,000 km², an average depth of 111 m and a maximum depth of 1,272 m, and a water volume of 61,000 km³. The sea is located in the near-equatorial latitudes of the southern hemisphere, mainly in the equatorial climatic zone, with a small part (in the south) in the subequatorial zone. Southeast monsoons prevail with winds up to 5-6 m/s, with storms - 12-15 m/s. Water temperature in the surface layers is up to 29-30°C. Salinity is 30-33 ‰. In the middle layers, 50-200 m, the water temperature drops to 15-25 °C. The salinity is 34-34.5 ‰. At a depth of 200-300 m, the water temperature is 4-11 °C. The Javan Sea was formed at the end of the last ice age. More than 3 thousand marine species live in the sea. Fishing is developed.

Common inhabitants of the Java Sea

Molluscs (cephalopods, bivalves, gastropods, etc.), echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, ophiuroids), arthropods (crayfish, crabs, lobsters, etc.) are abundant in the waters of the Java Sea. Among the large marine inhabitants are swordfish, sailfish, knifetooth sawfish, giant catfish, striped snakehead, giant gourami, obtuse barracuda, pickhandle barracuda, yellow-edged moray, greyface moray eel, etc. There are many sea turtles, as well as many species of unusual and rare fish, such as representatives of the Serranidae family from small to large sizes - malabar grouper, coral grouper, peacock hind, sea goldie, yellow-edged lyretail, Hong Kong grouper, slender grouper. Marine mammals are represented by several species of dolphins.

Fishing in the Java Sea

The fauna of the Javanese Sea is rich and varied. Commercial fishes are: clupeidae (white sardine, white sardinella), salmonidae (pink salmon, masu salmon, sockeye salmon, chinook salmon), carangidae (golden trevally, yellowstripe scad, torpedo scad, doublespotted queenfish, Indian scad, Blackfin scad, shrimp scad, orange-spotted trevally, blue trevally, longrakered trevally, herring scad), scombridae (yellowfin tuna, albacore, Indian mackerel, bigeye tuna, narrow-barred spanish mackerel, short mackerel, longtail tuna), muraenidae (giant moray, yellow-edged moray, fimbriated moray, greyface moray eel, freckled moray), congridae (southern conger, whitespotted conger) и batoidea (bluespotted ribbontail ray, round ribbontail ray, cowtail stingray, pale-edged stingray). Sharks are the most sought after prey by anglers. Fishing for these predators is aimed at getting her fins, which are used to make the famous soup in local restaurants. Pearls are also harvested here. Recently, the authorities have reduced the pace of fishing. On the islands of Sumatra and Java, all industrial fishing has been banned.

Sharks of the Java Sea

Among the reef sharks found in the Java Sea, there are many species such as the grey reef shark, tiger shark, blacktip shark, spadenose shark, graceful shark, spot-tail shark, whitecheek shark, grey sharpnose shark, winghead shark, smalleye hammerhead, hooktooth shark, sicklefin weasel shark, coral catshark, whitespotted bamboo shark, brownbanded bamboo shark. These sharks can cause problems when encountered by humans. But according to statistics, such cases are quite rare here. Other dangers are more common.

Dangerous inhabitants of the Java Sea

The richness and abundance of the fauna will impress any visitor to this area. Jellyfish (lion's mane jellyfish, Indonesian sea nettle and Australian box jelly), poisonous molluscs - сone snails, spiny fish (plumed scorpionfish, spotted scorpionfish, red scorpionfish, flasher scorpionfish, papuan scorpionfish, reef scorpionfish) and hard coral branches are the most common threats to swimmers. 

Beautiful coral reef inhabitants of the Java Sea

The fish world of the Java Sea, especially in the reef-building areas, is very rich in species and forms. The coral inhabitants of the sea often have the most bizarre shapes and colours. Here you can see long-snouted seahorse, banded pipefish, Denise's pygmy seahorse, messmate pipefish, convict surgeonfish, clown unicornfish, banggai cardinalfish, bicolor cleanerfish, beaked coral fish, yellowtail clownfish, spine-cheeked anemonefish, azure damselfish, Valentin's sharpnose puffer, sea goldie, painted sweetlip, peacock hind, coral hind, starck’s demoiselle, white-edged lyretail, warty frogfish, spotbanded scat and many more.