• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.779-793
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• 2023

Intensive and long-term aquaculture activities in Korea have generated considerable amounts of organic matter, deteriorating the sedimentary environment and ecosystem. The Korean government enacted the Fishery Management Act to preserve and manage the environment of fish farms. Based on this, a fisheries environment assessment has been conducted on fish cage farms since 2014, necessitating the development of a scientific and objective evaluation method suitable for the domestic environment. Therefore, a benthic health index (BHI) was developed using the relationship between benthic polychaete communities and organic matter, a major source of pollution in fish farms. In this study, the development process and calculation method of the BHI have been introduced. The BHI was calculated by classifying 225 species of polychaetes appearing in domestic coastal and aquaculture areas into four groups by linking the concentration gradient of the total organic carbon in the sediment and the distributional characteristics of each species and assigning differential weights to each group. Using BHI, the benthic fauna communities were assigned to one of the four ecological classes (Grade 1: Normal, Grade 2: Slightly polluted, Grade 3: Moderately polluted, and Grade 4: Heavily polluted). The application of the developed index in the field enabled effective evaluation of the Korean environment, being relatively more accurate and less affected by the season compared with the existing evaluation methods like the diversity index or AZTI's Marine Biotic Index developed overseas. In addition, using BHI will be useful in the environmental management of fish farms, as the environment can be graded in quantified figures.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2024

In this study, the characteristics of the early life history were investigated for the Hypomesus nipponensis in the west coast Daeho Bay. Egg's were adhesive eggs that had the property of sinking in water in a circular shape. The size of mature eggs was 0.52~0.66 (average of 0.59±0.03, n=30) mm. The hatching time took 140 hours at a water temperature of 22~23℃. Immediately after hatching, the yolk sac larvae was 4.78~5.60 (average of 5.25±0.26, n=30) mm in total length, and the mouth and anus were not completely opened. On the 7 days after hatching, the preflexion larvae was 5.91~6.64 (6.32±0.21) mm in total length, and the mouth and anus were opened, and feeding activities were started. On the 25 days after hatching, the flexion larvae was 9.70~12.3 (10.2±0.63) mm in total length, and the end of the spine at the tail end began to bend upward. On the 42 days after hatching, the postflexion larvae was 14.1~18.8 (16.9±1.44) mm in total length, and the end of the spine at the tail was completely bent at 45°. On the 56 days after hatching, it reached the integer with 10 dorsal fins, 16 anal fins, 7 ventral fins, and 19 caudal fins. According to the study, there were spot-shaped melanophore vesicles under the pectoral fins during the incubation period, the different positions of the egg yolk compared to the battlefield, the deposition of melanophore vesicles on the back and under the body of the caudal part during the postflexion larvae period, and the absence of melanophore vesicles on the torso between the head and the starting point of the dorsal fin. It was distinguished from related species in that melanophore vesicles were deposited in one row from the back of the body to the caudal part during the juvenile period.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.738-751
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• 2023

The Sembilan Archipelago is famous for its great biodiversity, in which the humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) (locally named Napoleon fish) is the primary commodity (economically important), and currently, the environmental degradation occurs due to anthropogenic activities. This study aimed to examine the eco-environmental parameters and assess their influence on the abundance of humphead wrasse and other coral reef fish compositions in the Sembilan Archipelago. Direct field monitoring was performed using a visual census throughout an approximately one km transect. Coral cover data collection and assessment were also carried out. A coastal water quality index (CWQI) was used to assess the water quality status. Furthermore, statistical-based analyses [hierarchical clustering, Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA)] were performed to examine the correlation between eco-environmental parameters. The Napoleon fish was only found at stations 1 and 2, with a density of about 3.8 Ind/ha, aligning with the dominant composition of the family Serranidae (covering more than 15% of the total community) and coinciding with the higher coral mortality and lower reef fish abundance. The coral reef conditions were generally ideal for supporting marine life, with a living coral percentage of about > 50% in all stations. Based on CWQI, the study area is categorized as good and excellent water quality. Of the 60 parameter values examined, the phytoplankton abundance, Napoleon fish, and temperature are highly correlated, with a correlation coefficient value greater than 0.7, and statistically significant (F < 0.05). Although the adaptation of reef fish to water quality parameters varies greatly, the most influential parameters in shaping their composition in the study area are living corals, nitrites, ammonia, larval abundance, and temperature.