Indonesia is an archipelagic country that has great potential for coral fishery resources with economic value. One type of coral fish that is widely exported is grouper. Indonesia's contribution to the total production of grouper fish in the world reaches 36%. Grouper fish is one of the main commodities of capture fisheries on Madura Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grouper fish in Madura Island have a fishing season almost all year round, namely in August to March and the peak season occurs in April to July. The potential of grouper fish resources each year in the waters of Madura Island reaches 159.8 tons with an optimum fishing effort of 1179,166 trips or return voyages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the high level of exploitation in coral fish catches by fishermen, especially in spawning areas (spawning<\/em>) and the increasingly widespread damage to coral reefs as habitats for coral fish will certainly cause coral fish stocks, including grouper, to decrease and possibly disappear from the waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These facts were conveyed by Dr. Abdul Basith in the doctoral promotion hearing of the Biology Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) which was held face-to-face on Thursday (9\/6\/2022) in the Hall of Building C, UI Campus, Depok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \"The fact related to the increasing exploitation of grouper fish species as the main commodity on Madura Island, is the basis that research on the morphological and genetic diversity of grouper fish (family Serranidae) in the waters of Madura Island is urgently needed as a basis for information for determining the status and management of its conservation in the future,\" said Dr. Abdul Basith explaining the background of his research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the summary of his dissertation entitled Study of Morphological Diversity, Molecular Authentication, Estimated Divergence Time, and Genetic Structure of Grouper Fish Population (Family Serranidae) from Madura Island Waters, East Java, Indonesia, <\/strong>He describes his research on morphological and molecular approaches to grouper species inventory, while also analyzing the microevolutionary patterns of sunu grouper (Plectropomus maculatus<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>Basic information is very necessary to underlie the management and utilization of Madura Island grouper, especially to maintain genetic resources, species, and grouper ecosystems. Basic research on Madura Island grouper begins with species identification and inventory based on a morphological approach,\" he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he said, the morphological character approach to grouper species identification is not free from shortcomings that have the potential to cause errors in species identification results. Errors in species identification results are caused by confusion or ambiguity in the similarity of color patterns and body shapes between grouper species. In fact, the accuracy or precision of grouper species identification is greatly needed as basic knowledge for conservation management and subsequent related research, so that a molecular approach is needed to complement the morphological approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the research, he found that 100 percent of grouper fish in Madura Island waters were successfully identified to the genus level and 83.9 percent were successfully identified to the species level using a morphological approach. In addition, 67.7 percent of grouper specimens have been identified using partial CO1 gene sequences, but 10 specimens or 32.2 percent were not successfully identified. The use of both approaches in an integrative manner succeeded in inventorying 13 species of grouper fish in Madura Island waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several novel values \u200b\u200bin this study are also described. Among them are information in the form of documentation and analysis of the results of species identification and morphological diversity of grouper fish found in the waters of Madura Island to complete the inventory of grouper fish species in Indonesia and their distribution, then new information in the form of partial DNA barcode data of accurate CO1 gene sequences for identification of grouper fish species found in the waters of Madura Island, including the results of phylogenetic tree reconstruction, genetic diversity, as well as to be included in the GenBank (NCBI) and BOLD system databases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also a very interesting novelty value, namely for the first time in Indonesia, especially in the field of Evolutionary Biology is the analysis of the estimated genetic divergence time of grouper fish using the RelTime method and its comparative efforts with the Bayesian method by utilizing partial molecular data of the CO1 gene sequence. The final results of this analysis are combined with the Geographic Information System (GIS) approach to map the distribution pattern of sunu grouper fish so as to describe the journey of genetic evolution of sunu grouper fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of this study are expected to be important supporting data to complete information on genetic resources of local grouper fish on Madura Island as germplasm, as well as for the development of marine resource conservation strategies, especially fish genetic conservation. This is in line with the Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 60 of 2007 concerning Conservation of Fish Resources and the Decree of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Number 79\/KEPMEN-KP\/2016 concerning the Fisheries Management Plan for the Fisheries Management Area of \u200b\u200bthe Republic of Indonesia 712 (WPPNRI 712).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For his achievements, the Administrator of the Mamba'ul Ma'arif Denanyar Jombang Islamic Boarding School Foundation received a Doctorate with a Very Satisfactory predicate under the guidance of Dr. Drs. Abinawanto, M.Sc. as the promoter, and Dr. Eni Kusrini, M.Sc., and Dr.rer.nat. Yasman, S.Si, M.Sc. as Co-Promoters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting, chaired by the Dean of FMIPA UI Dede Djuhana, Ph.D., was also attended by Drs. H. Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, M.Si. (Deputy Chairman of the People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia), Dr. (HC) Drs. A. Halim Iskandar, M.Pd. (Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia), and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris (Deputy Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, University of Indonesia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n