• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.389-401
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• 2003

The changes in structure and abundance of taxon or species groups in the East Sea ecosystem were compared between pre- and post-Climatic Regime Shift (CRS) occurred in the mid 1970s using an ECOPATH model. Although the East Sea ecosystem consisted of primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and terminal consumers most species groups were classified as secondary consumers. The mean trophic level between pre- and post-CRS increased from 3.09 during the pre-CRS period to 3.28 during the post-CRS period. Total biomass of the species groups in the East Sea ecosystem increased by $9\%$ due to the CRS, and total catch increased by $48\%.$ The most significant differences between pre- and post-CRS models occurred at the mid/high trophic levels occupied by fishes and cephalopods. Relative contribution of the different species groups to the total energy flow was calculated for the trophic level III. As a result, the status by the dominant species in the East Sea ecosystem shifted from cephalopods to walleye pollock due to the CRS. Relative contribution of 5 species, which were commercially important, such as Pacific saury, Pacific sardine, filefish, walleye pollock and sandfish in trophic level III, were also changed due to the CRS. Finally, the CRS turned out to cause large variations in biomass and catch of fisheries resources as well as the status and role of the major species.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.493-504
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• 2008

In the seas around the Korean Peninsula, the seasonal cycle of zooplankton related to North Pacific regime shifts was investigated to understand the reaction of the ecosystem to climate change using long-term data on zooplankton biomass (1965-2000) and the abundance of four major zooplankton groups: copepods, amphipods, chaetognaths, and euphausiids (1978-2000). In general, the zooplankton biomass showed a large peak in spring and a small peak in autumnin Korean waters, but there was a slight difference in the peak time depending on the location and the period before and after the North Pacific regime shift. The zooplankton biomass showed conspicuous seasonal peaks in R-III (1990-2000) compared to R-I (1965-1976) and R-II (1977-1988), and the seasonal peak shifted from the autumn in R-II to the spring in R-III. The peak of copepods and euphausiids in abundance was from April to June, while chaetognaths peaked from August to October. We postulate that the time lag between the peaks for copepods and chaetognaths results from the predator-prey relationship. The regime shift in 1989 did not alter the seasonal cycle of the four major zooplankton groups, although it enhanced their production. The seasonal peaks of the four major zooplankton groups did not shift, while the seasonal peaks of the zooplankton biomass did shift. This was not only becausethe zooplankton biomass included other mesozooplankton groups but also because the abundance of the four major zooplankton groups increased significantly in spring.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.273-274
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• 2002

In this study, we studied the structure of the western East Sea ecosystem and ecotrophic relationships among species inhabited at the East Sea using Ecopath (Christensen and Pauly, 1992) program. And in order to examine how the Climatic Regime Shift (CRS) affected to the western East Sea ecosystem, we analyzed the structure of the western East Sea ecosystem dividing before and after 1976/1977 CRS. (omitted)