• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.391-400
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• 2015

In order to investigate the distribution and species composition of fish in shallow wetlands that might be affected by environmental factors, we investigated the physicochemical parameters, macrophytes biomass, and fish assemblage in 24 shallow wetlands in South Korea from May to June, 2012. In this study, a total of 20 fish species were identified, and Cypinidae were found to be the most dominant species. Physicochemical parameters and macrophyte biomass were different in the survey sites, and macrophytes biomass, in particular, showed a positive relationship with fish abundance in stepwise multiple regression (df=1, F=32.00, P=0.001). According to the result of the cluster analysis between survey sites, the survey sites were divided into three groups in accordance with species composition of fish in relation to macrophytes biomass. In the wetlands of the first group, Lepomis macrochirus which belongs to Centrarchidae was found to be dominant and other fish assemblages were hardly seen. In the second group, unlike the first group, Carassius auratus that belongs to Cypinidae was found to be dominant. In the third group, Lepomis macrochirus was found to be as dominant as the first group but various other fish species appeared. Where there was abundance of the main food sources (i. e. zooplankton) of fish in the survey sites, there were more diverse macrophyte biomass. Consequently, it is proven that macrophytes strongly affect the species composition and abundance of fish, and high biomass of macrophytes support high assemblage of fish. Based on these results, we recommend establishing diverse aquatic macrophytes communities when restoring or creating wetlands to assure high diversity of fish species that use macrophytes as their habitat.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.997-1005
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• 2014

We analyzed annual and seasonal variations in fish species composition and distribution patterns using both daily catch and quantitative analysis data collected from a set-net fishery over a period of two years (2011-2012) on the coast of Dapo, Geoje Island. Set-net fishing season in this area is from May to November, and the annual yield based on the daily catch data was 171,412 kg in 2011, and 102,611 kg in 2012. In total, there were 46 species (belonging to 36 families and 12 orders) in 2011, and 41 species (belonging to 25 families and 9 orders) in 2012. The dominant species in terms of numbers were Trachurus japonicus, Engraulis japonicus, Clupea pallasii, Scomber japonicus, and Sphyraena pinguis. The range in fork length for T. japonicus and E. japonicus was from 3.2 to 23.9 cm, and from 2.6 to 13.3 cm, respectively. The fork length of recruiting juveniles to the Dapo set-net fishing ground ranged from 4.6 to 7.8 cm (median) for T. japonicus, and from 4.1 to 5.0 cm (median) for E. japonicus. The fact that most of the fish caught from the two species were at immature growth stages implies that the coast of Dapo can act as a nursery area for these migratory species.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.286-297
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• 2018

We analyzed scientific observer data to identify species composition and catch trends of Korean tuna longline fisheries in the Indian Ocean. The data were collected by Korean scientific observers onboard Korean tuna longline fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean from 2010 to 2015. The observers identified 94 species including 5 tuna, 6 billfish, 11 shark, 7 other fish, 5 seabird and 1 sea turtle. Albacore tuna Thunnus alalunga and southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii were the dominant tuna species, and swordfish Xiphias gladius were the most commonly captured billfish. During the survey periods, 87 seabirds were incidentally bycaught. Black-browed albatross Diomedea melanophris was the dominant seabird species in bycatch, especially in 2010. Cluster analysis showed difference in the species composition of catches between the eastern and western Indian Ocean.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 2012

Changes of fish assemblage inhabiting around Dae Island in Gwangyang Bay, Korea were investigated using a small beam trawl monthly from March 2009 to February 2010. These data were compared with those obtained in previous studies(1990~1991 and 1995~1996) at our study sites. A total of 8,133 fish belonging to 74 species in 38 families were collected. Leiognathus nuchalis, Argyrosomus argentatus, Acentrogobius pellidebilis, Sillago japonica, Apogon lineatus, Thryssa hamiltoni, Repomucenus richardsonii, Pholis nebulosa, Pleuronichthys cornutus, Hexagrammos otakii, and Limanda yokohamae dominated, and these were responsible for 89.5% and 58.9% in the number of individuals and in biomass, respectively. These were primarily small species or early juveniles of larger species. Seasonal variation in both species composition and abundance was large: the peak number of fish species occurred in May and October 2009, whilst both number of individuals and biomass were the highest in May 2009. Fish numbers as well as biomass was lowest in January and February 2010. Seasonal changes in the abundance of fishes corresponded with temperature. Compared with the previous studies, the total number of individuals and biomass per unit area($m^2$) were higher, and the predominance of L. nuchalis occurred while abundances of Liparis tanakai were significant decreased. These results seemed to be change of species composition in fish assemblage which was due to variation of annual environmental characteristics in Gwangyang Bay.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to analyze chemical water quality, ecological characteristics of fish compositions, and ecosystem health before- (B_wc; 2008-2009) and after-the weir construction (A_wc; 2011-2012) at Juksan Weir and Seungchon Weir of Yeongsan River watershed. Suspended solids (SS) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in Juksan Weir increased, whereas nutrients such as total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) decreased in the epilimnetic water. In Juksan and Seungchon weirs, fish species distribution analysis in the periods of B_wc and A_wc showed that sensitive species were rare and tolerant species were dominant in the community. In the analysis of trophic guild, relative abundance of carnivore species are increased to 22% and 12%, respectively, after the constructions of Seungchon Weir and Juksan Weir. Mann-Whitney U-tests of nonparametric statistical analysis indicated that omnivore and carnivore species had significant differences (p < 0.05) between the B_wc and A_wc. The massive population growth of an exotic species, Micropterus salmoides, was evident in Seungchon Weir to influence on the structures of fish communities. The model values of mean Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), based on fish assemblages, were < 15, which indicates "poor" condition in the river health, and the significant difference of IBI values was not found between the B_wc and A_wc.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.731-741
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• 2015

The objectives of study were to evaluate fish species compositions of trophic guilds and tolerance guilds and apply ecological fish assessment (EFA) models to Bekjae Weir, Keum-River Watershed. The EFA models were Stream Index of Biological Integrity (SIBI) used frequently for running water and Lentic Ecosystem Health Assessment (LEHA) used for assessments of stagnant water. The region of Bekjae Weir as a "four major river project" was originally a lotic ecosystem before the weir construction (2010, $B_{WC}$) but became more like lentic-lotic hybrid system after the construction (2011, $A_{WC}$). In the analysis of species composition and ecological bioindicator (fish), fish species with a preference of running water showed significant decreases (p < 0.05), whereas the species with a preference of stagnant water showed significant increases (p < 0.05). After the weir construction, relative abundances of tolerant species increased, and the proportion of insectivores decreased. This phenomenon indicated the changes of biotic compositions in the system by the weir construction. Applications of SIBI and LEHA models to the system showed that the two model values decreased at the same time after the weir construction ($A_{WC}$), and the region became more like lentic-lotic hybrid system, indicating the degradation of ecosystem health. The model values of SIBI were 19 and 16, respectively, in the BWC and AWC, and the health conditions were both "C-rank". In the mean time, the LEHA model analysis showed that the values was 28 in the BWC and 24 in the AWC, thus the health was turned to be "B-Rank" in the BWC and "C-Rank" in the AWC. indicating a degradation of ecological heath after the weir construction.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.156-163
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• 2024

This study investigated the temporal patterns of species composition and abundance of larval fish assemblages through seasonal samplings in the coastal waters off Uljin, East Sea from April 2022 to February 2023. A total of 27 taxa of larval fishes were collected in the study area. The dominant fish larvae were Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini, Sebastes inermis, Ammodytes japonicus, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae, Rudarius ercodes and Parablennius yatabei constituting 86.6% of total larval fish abundance. The number of species, abundance, and diversity index fluctuated according to season, showing the highest species number and abundance in April (spring) and diversity in July (summer). Larval fish assemblages were divided into three seasonal groups, including spring, summer and winter groups based on relative abundance of each fish larvae. Among abundant fish larvae, P. herzensteini predominated during spring, while P. yatabei and R. ercodes were abundant during summer. S. inermis, A. japonicus and P. yokohamae constituted the most abundant larval fish group during winter. These temporal changes in larval fish assemblages were attributed to seasonal changes in surface water temperature. The results from this study may elucidate our understanding of larval fish diversity and contribute to evaluating the nursery function of coastal habitats in the East Sea.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.234-243
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• 2006

A total 34 fish species, 1,110 individuals, and 5,107.3 g of fishes were collected by a surf net in the eelgrass bed in Jisepo Bay of Geoje Island, Korea. Samples were monthly collected from March 2005 to February 2006. The dominant fish species were Rudarius ercodes, Ditrema temminckii, Syngnathus schlegeli, Petroscirtes breviceps, which accounted for 73.5% of total number of individuals and 63.6% of biomass of fish collected. The number of species and biomass were low from March 2005 to July 2005, and high from August 2005 to October 2005. Species diversity indices ranged from 0.836 to 2.016, and showed the highest value in December 2005.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.32-48
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• 2024

Background: Longitudinal connectivity in river systems strongly affects biological components related to ecosystem functioning, thereby playing an important role in shaping local biodiversity and ecosystem health. Environmental DNA (eDNA)-based metabarcoding has an advantage of enabling to sensitively diagnose the presence/absence of species, becoming an efficient/effective approach for studying the community structure of ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to eDNA-based biomonitoring for river systems, particularly for assessing the river longitudinal connectivity. In this study, by using eDNA we analyzed and compared species diversity and composition among artificial barriers to assess the longitudinal connectivity of the fish community along down-, mid- and upstream in the Hotancheon from the Geum River basin. Moreover, we investigated temporal variation in eDNA fish community structure and species diversity according to season. Results: The results of species detected between eDNA and conventional surveys revealed higher sensitivity for eDNA and 61% of species (23/38) detected in both methods. The results showed that eDNA-based fish community structure differs from down-, mid- and upstream, and species diversity decreased from down to upstream regardless of season. We found that there was generally higher species diversity at the study sites in spring (a total number of species across the sites [n] = 29) than in autumn (n = 27). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and heatmap analyses further suggest that there was a tendency for community clusters to form in the down-, mid- and upstream, and seasonal variation in the community structure also existed for the sites. Dominant species in the Hotancheon was Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (26.07%) regardless of season, and subdominant species was Nipponocypris koreanus (16.50%) in spring and Odontobutis platycephala (15.73%) in autumn. Artificial barriers appeared to negatively affect the connectivity of some fish species of high mobility. Conclusions: This study attempts to establish a biological monitoring system by highlighting the versatility and power of eDNA metabarcoding in monitoring native fish community and further evaluating the longitudinal connectivity of river ecosystems. The results of this study suggest that eDNA can be applied to identify fish community structure and species diversity in river systems, although some shortcomings remain still need to be resolved.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.284-292
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• 2012

Species composition and abundance of larval fishes in the coastal waters off Gori in the southeastern Korea were investigated from January to December in 2006. During the study period, 32 larvae species belonging to 20 families were collected. The dominant species were Engraulis japonicius, Hexagrammos agrammus, Sillago japonicus, Acropoma japonicum, Apogon lineatus, and Konosirus punctatus. These six species accounted for 87.0% of the total number of individuals collected. The number of species, number of individuals, and species diversity indices fluctuated by season. The peak numbers of species and individuals occurred in July and May, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that monthly variations in water temperature and salinity could act as an indicators of seasonal variations in the larval fish community structure and abundance of the dominant species; in particular, the abundance of S. japonicus, A. japonicum, and A. lineatus were significantly corrected with the water temperature.