The objective of this study was to estimate physical properties and fishing performances of net twine with improved PBS copolymer resin (Bio-new), the existing PBS/PBAT blending resin (Bio-old) and commercial Nylon (Nylon). The tensile strength of Bio-new monofilament was equal to Bio-old and the elongation of Bio-new was about 6 % higher than that of Bio-old in wet condition. The physical properties tests were carried out to estimate breaking load and stiffness in dry and wet conditions, respectively. In the results, the breaking load of Nylon netting was the highest whereas the elongation of Bio-new was 1.4 times higher than that of Nylon netting in wet condition. The breaking load of Bio-old netting was about 9.2 % higher than that of Bio-new netting. However, the elongation of the Bio-new netting was about 3% higher than that of Bio-old. The stiffness of the Bio-new compared to Bio-old was improved about 34 % in dry condition and about 32 % in wet condition. The filed experiments of the fishing performance were conducted with three kinds of drift nets with different netting materials in the coastal sea of Jeju. The each experimental drift net made of different materials showed the similar fishing performance. Bio-old drift net yielded less catches of small sized yellow croaker than other drift nets. The netting materials affected the fishing performance and length distribution of catches in the drift nets.

In this study, we tested Japanese trolling lines in the Jeju fishery. This fishery simulates the natural marine environment with many seabed rocks, and has been redesigned and manufactured it to be suitable for the Jeju fishery. In order to ensure that the trolling lines were deployed at the inhabitation depth of hairtails, the conditions required for the fishing gear to reach the target depth were determined for use during the experiment. The experimental test fishing was conducted at the depth of 120 m water in front of Jeju Seongsanpo and in the offshore area of Jeju Hanlim. The fishing gear used in the test fishing is currently used in a variety of field operations in Japan. However, several problems were identified, such as twisting of the line during its deployment and excessive sinking of the main line. The fishing gear was, therefore, redesigned and manufactured to be more suitable for the Jeju fishery environment. For the fishing gear to accurately reach the target depth, depth loggers were installed at the starting point of the main line and at the 250 m and 340 m points of the line. Depth and time were recorded every 10 seconds. According to the daytime positioning of hairtails in the lower water column, the target depth of the fishing gear was set at 100-110 m, which was 10-20 m above the sea floor. At a speed of 1.9 knots and with a 9 kg sinker attached, the main fishing line was deployed and catch yields at depths of 100 m, 150 m and 180 m were recorded and analyzed. When the 180 m main line was fully deployed, the time for the hairtail trolling lines to arrive at the appropriate configuration had to be 5 minutes. At this time, the depth of the fishing gear was 16-23 m above the sea floor, in accordance with the depths at which the hairtails were during the day. In addition, in order to accurately place the fishing gear at the inhabitation water depth of hairtails, the experimental test fishing utilized the results of the depth testing that identified the conditions required for the fishing gear to reach the target depth, and the result was a catch of up to 97 kg a day.

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) has been mostly caught by the Korean offshore large purse seine fishery in Korean waters. The annual catch of Pacific bluefin tuna caught by the offshore large purse seine fishery in Korean waters showed less than 1,000 mt until the 1990s except for 1997. The catch sharply increased to 2,401 mt in 2000 and recorded the highest of 2,601 mt in 2003, but the catch has generally decreased with a fluctuation thereafter. The main fishing ground of Pacific bluefin tuna of this fishery is formed around Jeju Island. However, it expanded to the Yellow Sea, the coastal of Busan, and the East Sea, which depends on the migration patterns of Pacific bluefin tuna by season. The CPUE standardization of Pacific bluefin tuna was conducted using Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to assess the proxy of the abundance index. The data used for the GLM were catch (weight), effort (number of hauls), catch ratio of Pacific bluefin tuna, moon phase by year, quarter and area. The standardized CPUE from 2004 to 2011, except for 2003 and 2010, showed a steady trend, and then increased until 2014. The CPUE in 2015 decreased, and in 2016 was higher than that in 2015. The result of GLM suggests that the effect of the catch ratio of Pacific bluefin tuna is the largest factor affecting the nominal CPUE.

Due to the decrease in coastal productivity and deterioration in the quality of ecosystem which result from the excessive overfishing of fisheries resources and the environmental pollution, fisheries resources in the Korean waters hit the dangerous level in respect of quantity and quality. In order to manage sustainable and effective fisheries resources, it is necessary to suggest the potential yield (PY) for clarifying available fisheries resources in the Korean waters. So far, however, there have been few studies on the estimation methods for PY in Korea. In addition, there have been no studies on the comparative analysis of the estimation methods and the substantial estimation methods for PY targeted for large marine ecosystem (LME) For the reasonable management of fisheries resources, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study on the estimation methods for the PY which combines population dynamics and ecosystem dynamics. To reflect the research need, this study conducts a comparative analysis of estimation methods for the PY in the Korean waters of the East Sea to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and suggests the estimation method which considered both population dynamics and ecosystem dynamics to supplement shortcomings of each method. In this study, the maximum entropy (ME) model of the holistic production method (HPM) is considered to be the most reasonable estimation method due to the high reliability of the estimated parameters. The results of this study are expected to be used as significant basic data to provide indicators and reference points for sustainable and reasonable management of fisheries resources.

The diet composition of Takifugu niphobles was studied with 587 specimens collected in the eelgrass bed of Jangpyeong-ri, Tongyeong, Korea, using a seine net, monthly from May 2016 to April 2017. The standard length (SL) of the specimens ranged from 0.7 to 9.0 cm. The stomach contents analysis indicated that T. niphobles consumed mainly amphipods (%IRI: 91.0 %). In addition, T. niphobles fed on small quantities of copepods, polychaetes, insects, bivalves and crabs. T. niphobles consumed mainly amphipods over all size class. Smaller individuals (less than 4 cm SL) fed mainly on amphipods and copepods. The proportion of copepods decreased, as body size increased, whereas the consumption of polychaetes increased gradually. The seasonal variation in the diet composition of T. niphobles was significant. Amphipods were most common prey in all seasons. Copepods decreased from summer to spring gradually whereas the consumption of polychaetes increased in autumn.

Acoustic surveys were conducted in the seas surround the South Korea (South Sea A, South Sea B (waters around the Jeju Island), West Sea and East Sea) in spring and autumn in 2016. First, the vertical and horizontal distributions of fisheries resources animals were examined. In most cases vertical acoustic biomass was high in surface water and mid-water layers other than South Sea A in autumn and West Sea. The highest vertical acoustic biomass showed at the depth of 70-80 m in the South Sea A in spring ($274.4m^2/nmi^2$) and the lowest one was 10-20 m in the West Sea in autumn ($0.4m^2/nmi^2$). With regard to the horizontal distributions of fisheries resources animals, in the South Sea A, the acoustic biomass was high in eastern and central part of the South Sea and the northeast of Jeju Island ($505.4-4099.1m^2/nmi^2$) in spring while it was high in eastern South Sea and the coastal water of Yeosu in autumn ($1046.9-2958.3m^2/nmi^2$). In the South Sea B, the acoustic biomass was occurred high in the southern and western seas of Jeju Island in spring ($201.0-1444.9m^2/nmi^2$) and in the southern of Jeju Island in autumn ($203.7-1440.9m^2/nmi^2$). On the other hand, the West Sea showed very low acoustic biomass in spring (average NASC of $1.1m^2/nmi^2$), yet high acoustic biomass in the vicinity of 37 N in autumn ($562.6-3764.2m^2/nmi^2$). The East Sea had high acoustic biomass in the coastal seas of Busan, Ulsan and Pohang in spring ($258.7{\sim}976.4m^2/nmi^2$) and of Goseong, Gangneung, Donghae, Pohang and Busan in autumn ($267.3-1196.3m^2/nmi^2$). During survey periods, fish schools were observed only in the South Sea A and the East Sea in spring and the West Sea in autumn. Fish schools in the South Sea A in spring were small size ($333.2{\pm}763.2m^2$) but had a strong $S_V$ ($-49.5{\pm}5.3dB$). In the East Sea, fish schools in spring had low $S_V$ ($-60.5{\pm}14.5dB$) yet had large sizes ($537.9{\pm}1111.5m^2$) and were distributed in the deep water depth ($83.5{\pm}33.5m$). Fish schools in the West Sea in autumn had strong $S_V$ ($-49.6{\pm}7.4dB$) and large sizes ($507.1{\pm}941.8m^2$). It was the first time for three seas surrounded South Korea to be conducted by acoustic surveys to understand the distribution and aggregation characteristics of fisheries resources animals. The results of this study would be beneficially used for planning a future survey combined acoustic method and mid-water trawling, particularly deciding a survey location, a time period, and a targeting water depth.

In the area around Jeju Island, the squid jigging fishery and the hair-tail angling are popular. Therefore, the study on the characteristics of the formation and shift of fishing grounds is very important. We have received and analyzed AIS data of all vessels around Jeju Island from October 16, 2016 to October 16, 2017, and extracted the positions of the fishing vessels with the same operational characteristics as the fishing vessels of their fisheries. The distribution chart of the frequency of fishing vessels appearing in each predefined fishing grid ($1NM{\times}1NM$) was analyzed. So we took a analogy with the monthly shift of fishing grounds. Many fishing vessels appeared in the seas around Jeju Island from November 2016 to January 2017, and the frequency of their appearance was maintained. In November, however, fishing vessels were mostly concentrated in coastal waters. Yet, the density gradually weakened as they moved into January. From February, the frequency itself began to decline, making it the worst in April. The high concentration of fishing vessels in the waters leading from Jeju Island's northwest coast to south coast in November is believed to be related to the yellowtail fishery that are formed annually in the coastal waters off the island of Marado. In May 2017, the appearance frequency of fishing vessels increased and began to show a concentration in coastal waters around Jeju Island. Fishing vessels began to flock in waters northwest of Jeju Island beginning in July and peaked in August, and by September, fishing vessels were moving south along the coast of Jeju Island, weakening the density and spreading out. Between July and August, fishing vessels were concentrated in waters surrounding Jeju Island, which is believed to be related to the operations of fishing vessels for the squid jigging fishery and the hair-tail angling.

This study aimed to analyze the profitability and economic feasibility of hairtail trolling line gear that was developed for the last 3 years (2015-2017). The new fishing gear technology development was accomplished to solve the current problem of fishermen shortage in hairtail targeting fisheries in Jeju region. Results indicated that the profitability of developed hairtail trolling line fishery was estimated to be 36.1 % which would be higher than that of other hairtail targeting fisheries in Jeju region. In addition, as an economic feasibility, the net present value and the internal rate of return of a 20-year cash inflow and outflow were evaluated to be 400.2 million won and 66.9 %, respectively. However, sensitivity analyses of main variables showed that the profitability and economic feasibility would be vulnerable to catch amount and market condition changes.

Marine casualties of small fishing vessels (SFV) of less than 20 tons are frequent in Korea. The analysis was conducted to identify the cause and then prepared reduction plan using the marine casualty statistics of fishing vessels for the last five years from 2012 to 2016 by the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal to reduce the marine casualties of SFV. According to the analysis of the type of whole vessels occurring marine casualty, fishing vessels accounted for an average 68.0 %; moreover, except for 2014 when M/V SEWOL ferry capsizing occurred, the rate of death and missing due to marine casualties occurred from 68.3 % to 91.2 % in fishing vessels, and an average 79.5 % was found to be urgent need of a measure. Marine casualties occurrence depending on the gross tonnage of fishing vessel was found that the most occurred at less than 5 tons, followed by the order of 5 to 10 tons or less. However, crews who boarded on SFV do not have any training program for them, except for the fishing safety training of fisher who carry out fishing for shipowners and crew of the coastal and offshore fishing vessel in accordance with the safety regulations for fishing vessels in the Fisheries Cooperative Association. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the training program so as to improve the preventive action and then emergency response including the fishing safety compliance with each fishery, safe navigation, machinery inspection and emergency response. Also, an SFV of less than 5 tons of 56,000 vessels is boarded by unqualified fishers. It would also be possible to consider subdividing small boat operator's certificate to enhance their qualifications. It is expected that marine casualties of SFV will be reduced if active efforts are made to improve the safety consciousness of fisher and shipowners as well as the reorganization of fishing safety training and the small boat operator's certificate system.

In order for the probe to perform ocean exploration and survey research, it is necessary to adjust the position of the ship as desired by dynamic positioning system. The dynamic positioning system of T/S NARA is applied to K-POS dynamic positioning system of Kongsberg, which makes maintaining the ship's position, changing position and heading control possible. T/S NARA is not capable of dynamic positioning if one or more propulsive forces are lost with DP Level One. However, it is predicted that dynamic positioning can be achieved even at the time of missing one thrust in a good sea condition. Therefore, we want to analyze the effect of each propulsion on the performance of dynamic position system. When one of the bow thruster and azimuth thrusters lost their propulsion, maintaining the ship's position, changing position and heading control performance were compared and analyzed. If the situation occurred disable from using the bow thruster, they can not maintain ship's position. Azimuth thruster was influential for the ship's position control and bow thruster was influential in heading control. The excellent dynamic positioning performance can be achieved, considering the propulsion power that will have a impact on each situation in the future.

The reproduction characteristics of hagfish Eptatretus burgeri were examined using individuals caught in the South Sea of Korea. The spawning season and size at minimum sexual maturity of this species were characterized based on a gonad-somatic index (GSI) and monthly variation egg size (long axis). From monthly variation of GSI, the spawning season was estimated to be from August to September. Developing eggs larger than 10 mm were found in March, and the largest egg size was found in July. The first spawning length was 34.2 cm TL. Batch fecundity ranged from 13 to 117 eggs for hagfish sized from 34.2 cm TL to 77.0 cm TL, respectively, and increased linearly with total length.