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ISRA FACTSHEETS

ASIA REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

ASIA REGION

Halmahera ISRA

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Halmahera ISRA

Halmahera

Summary

Halmahera is located in the Maluku archipelago of eastern Indonesia. The area includes three islands and two bays, and is characterised by shallow waters with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds. The area overlaps with five Key Biodiversity Areas. Within the area there are: range-restricted species (Halmahera Epaulette Shark Hemiscyllium halmahera).

Halmahera

Halmahera

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Halmahera is located in the Maluku archipelago of eastern Indonesia. It sits within the Halmahera Sea and is part of the North Maluku province. The area includes three islands, Ternate, Morotai, and the main Halmahera Island (Madduppa et al. 2020). It also includes two bays: Weda Bay in the south and Kau Bay in the northeast (Madduppa et al. 2020). The area is characterised by shallow waters with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds (Madduppa et al. 2020).

Halmahera is strongly influenced by monsoon seasons, with the northwest monsoon (November–March) producing warmer sea surface temperatures (SST), high precipitation, intermittent winds, and north swells. The southeast monsoon (May–October) is characterised by colder SST, less rainfall, persistent winds, and strong southeast swells that produce an increase in productivity (Prentice & Hope 2007).

The area overlaps with five Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA): Jara-jara, Pulau-pulau Pesisir Morotai, Pulau-pulau Pesisir Tobelo, Ternate – Hiri, and Weda Telope (KBA 2024a, 2024b, 2024c, 2024d, 2024e).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 10 m based on the depth range of the Qualifying Species in the area.

CRITERION B

RANGE RESTRICTED

This area holds the regular presence of the Halmahera Epaulette Shark as a resident range-restricted species. This species is endemic to Halmahera. Halmahera Epaulette Shark was described from two individuals caught around Ternate Island (Allen et al. 2013, 2016; Dudgeon et al. 2020) and has subsequently been reported year-round from diving observations and scientific studies focused on this species in four main locations: Ternate, Kau Bay, Weda Bay, and Morotai. After the two individuals collected for the species description in Ternate Island, 78 sharks were sampled between 2017 and 2019 in Ternate (Madduppa et al. 2020; Mukharror et al. 2020; Galitan et al. 2023). For Kau Bay, 604 individuals (16.9–56.6 cm total length [TL]) were sampled between March 2017 and February 2018 during 296 night dives (Jutan et al. 2018, 2019).  For Weda Bay, 28 individuals were collected between September and November 2020 (Mu’min et al. 2021). For Morotai Island, 36 individuals were observed between July 2021 and August 2022 around the island (Wahab et al. 2022; Akbar et al. 2023a, 2023b; Ichsan et al. 2023). Halmahera Epaulette Shark occurs only in the Indonesian Sea Large Marine Ecosystem.

Halmahera

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