Fauna of the Molucca Sea

Inter-island sea in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi in the west, Sula, Maluku and Moluccas in the south, Sangihe, Mindanao and Talaud in the north, and North Malukku in the east. It is bordered by the Banda Sea to the south and the Sulawesi Sea to the west. The Philippine Sea lies to the north and the Halmahera Sea to the east. It lies in the equatorial climate belt. The equator divides the sea in two. The climate is nearly constant. The air temperature is 27-28°C. The surface water temperature is 27-28°C. Salinity is also almost constant, averaging 34 ‰. Tides are irregular, semi-diurnal, about 2 meters high.

Underwater, the coral reefs of the Moluccas are home to tropical classics such as Hawaiian butterflyfish, green humphead parrotfish, scissortail sergeant, six-line wrasse, goldrim surgeonfish, foxface rabbitfish, blackfin dartfish, areolate grouper, giant moray eels, tasseled scorpionfish and many other beautiful colorful fish. 

The sea is characterized by high fish production. The largest catches come from Indonesia, Thailand-Philippines and Vietnam. The amount of fish caught and its species composition varies from year to year. Large numbers of schooners catch fish with nets and lines, and fishermen use bait. Underwater enthusiasts catch dogtooth tuna, mahi-mahi and giant trevally. Commercial fish include: Spanish mackerel, great barracuda and black jack.