4. Cikaso River

Cikaso is one of the major rivers in Sukabumi where eel fisheries practices are also taken place. This river produced second highest  glass-eel production in Sukabumi. However, glass-eel fisheries in this river are highly depended on “Bugel”; a unique sand dune formation at the estuary area which may formed and blocked waterflow from/to Cikaso River. If the river is blocked from Bugel, glass-eel production will decrease. There are three locations that were assessed: Sengke, Leuwi Santen and Curug Cikaso. Unlike other assessed area, Cikaso has a dock where small boats are parked.

Fig. 11 Two assessed river segments of in Cikaso River:
1. Sengke (07°20'37,0" S; 106°32'15,4" E)
2. Leuwi Santen (07°21'38,4" S; 106°37'15,5" E)
3. Curug Cikaso (07°21'39,4" S; 106°37'04,0" E)

a. Sengke
Sengke is located in Cibitung Subdistrict. It is the most upstream assessed area in Cikaso River. Although boat is required to access this area, Sengke is regularly visited by few local fishers for small scale fisheries practices (using traditional net; ‘bubu’).
Since Sengke is relatively isolated from various human disturbance, this river segment is cleaner compared to other assessed area. Additionally, this is the only area where the assessment team saw some captured eels directly (in elver stadia). This founding clearly states that this area is a natural habitat for freshwater eels.

b. Leuwi Santen
Leuwi santen is the deepest river section in around the assessed area in Cikaso River. Similar to Sengke, this location is only accessible with boats. Since Leuwi Santen is located at the downstream part of the Cikaso River, this area may experience salinity fluctuation, particularly during the dry season. There few fisheries practices conducted around Leuwi Santen: fishing using fish rod, and free diving. None of these practices specifically target eels.

c. Curug Cikaso

Curug Cikaso is a well-known waterfall with some supporting facilities for tourists. Although vegetation and water quality seem to be good visually, this location is not suitable for stocking due to various human disturbances around the area.