• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.159-169
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• 2007

Excessive input of organic matters from fish cage farms to the coastal waters has been considered as one of the major factors disturbing their benthic ecosystem. Sediment samples were taken from around the two fish cage zones (A and B) in Tongyeong coast in June and August 2003, to evaluate the ecological impacts of fish cage farming activity on the macrobenthic polychaete communities. Polychaete accounted for $81{\sim}87%$ of the total macrofauna individuals from each of the sampling stations. The number of species, abundance, diversity and dominant species of polychaete were rapidly changed with the distance from the fish cages. Within 10 m from the fish cages, Capitella capitata, which is a bio-indicator for the highly enriched sediments, was a dominant species and the lowest diversity was recorded. In particular, the maximum density (${\sim}18,410\;ind.m^2$) of C. capitata was found at Farm A where fish cages were more densely established within a semi-enclosed bay system. The sampling zone between 10 m and 15 m showed a rapid decrease of C. capitata with a rapid increase of the numbers of species, implying that this zone may be an ecotone point from a highly to a slightly enriched area. In the sampling zone between 15 m and 60 m, a transitional zone, which represents slightly enriched condition before normal one, was observed with additional increase and maintenance of the number of species and density of polychaete. In addition, the potential bio-indicators of organic enrichment, such as Lumbrineris longifolia and Aphelochaeta monilaris were the predominant species in the sampling zone. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordination plots and k-dominance curves confirmed the above results on the gradual changes in the macrobenthic polychaete communities. Our findings suggest that the magnitude of impact of fish cage farming activity on polychaete communities is probably governed by a distance from fish cage, density of fish cage and geomorphological characteristics around fish cage farm.