An Overview of Marine Mammals in Eastern Indonesia 2016: Implications for Marine Mammals Research and Conservation

Eastern Indonesia is known as the center of marine biodiversity of the world as well as habitat and marine mammal migration path. Not all marine mammal events in eastern Indonesia are well documented. The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence of marine mammals in eastern Indonesia in 2016. Data collection done through observation, indepth interview with the community and experts. The results of this study were 8 (eight) occurrences of marine mammals which were in Mollucas, North Mollucas and West Papua Provinces with the highest incidence in August. That marine mammals were Duyung ( Dugong dugon ), Sperm Whale (Physetermacrocephalus) , Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) , and 2 types of unidentified Whales. The marine mammals exist were deliberately netted by people, stranded, trapped in fishing nets or deliberately commercialized. This marine mammals stranded occurence indicate the requirement of strategies development for handling these protected marine ‘biota’ to store their population.