• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.704-713
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• 2018

Globally, the survival of many marine mammals is threatened by entanglement in fishing gear and there is also a high bycatch in Korea. This study analyzed the bycatch data of most cetacean species for Korean waters from 2011 to 2017, including the narrow-ridged finless porpoise Neophocaena asiaeorientalis, common dolphin Delphinus delphis, common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata, and Pacific white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens. A total of 12,262 cetaceans were captured as bycatch. In the Yellow and South Seas, the main species affected was the narrow-ridged finless porpoise, with 82.9% caught in stow nets and 11.5% captured in trawls. In the East Sea, the common minke whale, common dolphin, and Pacific white-sided dolphin were reported. The main common minke whale bycatch (43.5%) was in set nets, while common dolphins (49.0%) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (91.4%) were mainly caught in gill nets. The narrow-ridged finless porpoise, common dolphin, and common minke whale were most commonly reported in March, April, and May, while the Pacific white-sided dolphin was most frequently captured as bycatch in January and December. Each of these factors (season and gear responsible for bycatch) depended on the characteristics of the cetacean species. To conserve cetaceans, it is necessary to reduce the bycatch.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2013

The present study examined the histological characteristics of adult testis in the long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) from Korean waters and the localization of DEAD-box polypeptide 4 (DDX4; a germ cell marker) and vimentin (a Sertoli cell marker) expression in the dolphin testis compared with that in terrestrial mammals, including dogs and rats. The seminiferous tubules of dolphin testis have very small or completely closed lumens, and spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells within the tubules cannot be differentiated. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that, in the dolphin testis, DDX4- and vimentin-positive cells were scattered extensively within the tubule, whereas in the dog and rat testis, DDX4 immunoreactivity was localized in spermatogenic cells of the adluminal compartment, and vimentin immunoreactivity was localized in Sertoli cells of the basal compartment in the seminiferous epithelium. These results suggest that the histological characteristics of the seminiferous tubules in the dolphin testis differ from those of terrestrial species.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2001

The characteristics of echolocation signals of the Common Dolphin, Delphinus Delphis was observed by the hydrophone in order to detect exactly distribution and migration on whales and dolphins in Korean Coastal waters. It's observation was carried out at the position of 13 mm off Gam-Po of Korean east-southern sea at 3rd-5th. April and 13th-15th. October, 1999. The results obtained are summarized as follows: (1) The frequency range of ship's noise and ambient noise in the observed station was 0.5-0.3 kHz, that ones could be influenced to the behavior of common dolphins which carry out echolocation using low-frequency. (2) The common dolphin was radiated single click of 8.6 ms and double click of 4.8 ms pulse width during these observation (3) The high click frequencies of common dolphin were 5.10 kHz, 7.22 kHz, 10.60 kHz with the click pulse width of 4.0 ms, 2.6 ms, 1.0 ms, respectively. In case of low-frequency 1-2 kHz, that is, 1.12 kHz, 1.38 kHz, 1.82 kHz, pulse width were 22.4 ms, 2.05 ms, 11.9 ms, respectively and they showed a tendency using triple click signal. (4) The pulse width, pulse recurrence interval and frequency range of the observed echolocation signals were 2.4-8.4 ms, 9.0-40.0 ms, 0.60-10.63 kHz respectively, and frequency spectrum level was 100-125 dB for single, double, triple click signals.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.892-900
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• 2013

In 2011, the system for conserving and managing cetacean resources in Korea changed. The status of the cetacean bycatch was analyzed using a distribution certificate that was issued by the coast guard. During 2011.2012, 12 species were bycatch in Korean waters: three species of baleen whale and nine species of dolphin. The finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) was the dominant species, followed by the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), and Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). Among the baleen whales, the common minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) was first and Bryde's (Balaenoptera edeni) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales appeared in the Korea Strait and East Sea, respectively. Among the dolphins, the finless porpoise ranked first in the Yellow Sea. The common dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin, and harbor porpoise were more frequent in the East Sea than in other waters. The cetacean bycatch was caused mainly by pots, set nets, gill nets, and stow nets. Among the three species of baleen whale, the common minke whale was caught by pots and set nets, and comprised over 68.9% of the total bycatch in 2011 and 56.2% in 2012. Comparing the bycatch caused by fishing gears by area in 2011 and 2012, 97.9% and 99.6%, respectively, of the finless porpoise bycatch in the Yellow Sea was by stow nets. In the Korea Strait, trawl bycatch comprised 67.3% in 2011 and 73.0% in 2012, followed by gill nets, set nets, and pots targeting finless porpoise and common minke whales. In the East Sea, gill nets were responsible for 46.7% in 2011 and 61.2% in 2012, followed by set nets and pots.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.406-412
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• 2017

Vocalizations of the common dolphin Delphinus Delphis, were recorded from a single hydrophone while coastal visual survey was performed in the East Sea in March 2017. Like most Delphinidae, common dolphins produce whistles, echolocation clicks, and burst-pulsed calls, with repertoires that differ between species and geographically separated populations. This study focuses on using frequency analysis to classify sounds into three categories and to compare them with those of other common dolphin populations. The fundamental frequencies of the whistles were high in the 6 to 14 kHz range, while echolocation clicks were in the 40 to 90 kHz frequency band. These results are similar to high-energy distributions in the same frequency band in other regions. Based on this study of the acoustic characteristics of dolphins off the east coast of Korea, cetacean vocalizations can be classified using a database of cetacean sounds in Korea. In addition, this technique could improve data quality for visual whale surveys and could be applied to various other research subjects.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.175-182
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• 2008

Bottlenose dolphins are the only cetaceans regularly observed in the northern Adriatic Sea, but they survive at low densities and are exposed to significant threats. This study investigates some of the factors that influence habitat use by the animals in a largely homogeneous environment by combining dolphin data with hydrological and physiographical variables sampled from oceanographic ships. Surveys were conducted year-round between 2003 and 2006, totalling 3,397 km of effort. Habitat modelling based on a binary stepwise logistic regression analysis predicted between 81% and 93% of the cells where animals were present. Seven environmental covariates were important predictors: oxygen saturation, water temperature, density anomaly, gradient of density anomaly, turbidity, distance from the nearest coast and bottom depth. The model selected consistent predictors in spring and summer. However, the relationship (inverse or direct) between each predictor and dolphin presence varied among seasons, and different predictors were selected in fall. This suggests that dolphin distribution changed depending on seasonal forcing. As the study area is relatively uniform in terms of bottom topography, habitat use by the animals seems to depend on complex interactions among hydrological variables, caused primarily by seasonal change and likely to determine shifts in prey distribution.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.213-219
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• 2010

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) commonly inhabit Korean waters, including the coastal waters of Jeju Island. However, their taxonomic position was unclear because of the validity of this genus. The genus Tursiops has recently been determined to comprise two species: the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). To confirm the taxonomic position of bottlenose dolphins frequenting the coastal waters of Jeju Island, the external morphology and osteology of specimens from Jeju Island were examined. Photographs of free-swimming individuals were also used for determining external morphological characters. The cranial and meristic measurements fell within the ranges of T. aduncus. Osteological ratios were also consistent with those of T. aduncus. The presence of a prominent ventral spot was observed among some individuals. As a result, the dolphins mainly distributed in the coastal waters of Jeju Island were identified as Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (T. aduncus) in terms of their cranial characters and ventral spotting. We propose a new Korean name, 'Nambang-keun-dol-go-rae'.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2011

Blubber plays different biological roles in cetaceans, including structural support, physiological demands (thermoregulation, streamlining, buoyancy, etc.), and energy storage. As such, biochemical composition, especially lipid, in the blubber may be vertically stratified in order to effectively assist with these functions. We analysed lipid content, class and fatty acid composition in the blubber of by-catch minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata; n = 11), long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis; n = 3) and Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obiquidens; n = 2) from Korean waters. Lipid content for all three species ranged from 55 to 96% of wet weight, with a dominance of triacylglycerols. Vertical stratification of blubber lipid content was different between species. For minke whale and longbeaked common dolphin, it increased from inner (near the muscle) to outer (near the skin) layer, whereas it decreased for Pacific white-sided dolphin. Thirty-one fatty acids were found in all blubber samples and vertical stratification of fatty acid composition was similar among all three species. Among grouped fatty acids, monounsaturates were the most abundant, gradually increasing from inner to outer blubber layer, whereas polyunsaturates and saturates decreased. Such vertical stratification of lipid content and composition suggests that the modification and accumulation of lipid occur in the blubber itself in order to help cetaceans with their specific physiological needs.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.486-492
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• 2012

In the late 1970s, the National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI) started cetacean research to submit the Korean whale catch record to the International Whaling Commission. This continued until the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. The NFRDI resumed cetacean research with a pilot whale sighting survey in 1999. Subsequently, the NFRDI has conducted 53 cetacean sighting surveys within the Korean exclusive economic zone between 2000 and 2010. The surveys took a total of 760 days and cruising for 23,866 nautical miles. The finless porpoise Neophocaena asiaeorientalis was sighted most frequently (735 times), followed by the minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata (396 times), the long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis (102 times), and the Pacific white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (27 times). Minke whales were distributed in the Yellow Sea and coastal area of the East Sea from spring to fall. Pacific white-sided dolphin sightings were restricted to the middle and upper coastal areas of the East Sea in summer. Common dolphins were sighted from east of the southern coast to the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula from spring to fall. Finless porpoise occurred in all Korean coastal areas, except the middle and upper eastern coast.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.151-154
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• 2016

The trematodes of Genus Nasitrema are the most common infection in the heads of small odontocetes. Five species of Nasitrema have been described in Asia. But those parasites has been not surveyed in the East Sea of Korean peninsula. There are no evidence of pathology associated with Nasitrema attenuate. To determine the infection ratio of N. attenuata in the dolphin, it was surveyed 9 long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis, caught incidentally from Samcheok to Pohang, East Sea, Korea. Five males and four females, estimated to be between 1 to 10 years old, were examined. The quantity of N. attenuata harvested by aspiration from pterygoid sinuses ranged from 10 to 100 with a 100% (9/9) infection with older dolphins exhibiting higher parasite counts. The body of trematoda was elongated with tegumental patches resembling the leaves of lilies and oral sucker located ventrally at the anterior terminal. Esophagus was absent and intestinal bifurcation arose immediately from the posterior of pharynx. The undulated intestinal caeca transversed the entire body and terminated at the posterior extremity of the worm. The genital pore opened anterior to the ventral sucker. This report confirms the prevalence and morphology of N. attenuata in the dolphins from the East Sea, Korea.