• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.131-142
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• 2024

Ocean change due to anthropogenic activities and climate change are causing a decline in coldwater fish species and emergence of subtropical fish species in Korean waters. Therefore, environmental change-dependent time-space distribution of fishery resources in Korea, which has a big fisheries industry, needs to be investigated. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an environmentally noninvasive method for understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of marine organisms at high spatial resolution. The highly variable cytochrome oxidase-1 (CO1) gene is used in eDNA studies for species identification across diverse taxa. However, it exhibits genetic differences depending on geographical distribution. For improving the accuracy of eDNA research, the CO1 database should be expanded by incorporating sequence information for individuals inhabiting the Korean seas. Here, 106 biological samples from the Yellow Sea were identified morphologically and their nucleotide sequences were compared with those in the GenBank. Most sequences were 100% identical with those in the GenBank. In most samples, the morphological and molecular identification results were consistent, indicating the utility of CO1. However, some nucleotide sequences differed from those in the database. Amino acid sequences translated from nucleotide sequences with less than 97% similarity showed high similarity to the amino acid database, indicating intraspecies variation due to "silent mutations". These results highlight the need for a sequence database of fishery resources in Korean coastal waters to improve the reliability of eDNA studies using CO1. However, because of the same CO1 sequences in several species, genetic markers need to be developed and the database should be supplemented with more sequences for reliable high-resolution eDNA studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.93-104
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to develop a list of plants that adapted to the aquatic environment in urban areas based on the list of plants surveyed through literature review and field surveys, and to classify the types of vegetation according to the five categories of plant distributions set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1988) in the aspect of the adaptability of plants to the aquatic environment. Results of the classification by category according to the adaptability to the aquatic environment for the plant species surveyed through literature review and field surveys showed that there are 45 species of OBL, 96 species of FACW, 66 species of FAC, and 94 species of FACU, totaling 650 species. In addition, a total of 50 species excluding exotic species, endangered species, and naturally introduced plants are proposed as appropriate plants for the urban aquatic environment that will be artificially constructed. The results of the study can be utilized as the basic information for maintaining diversity and stability of the ecosystem during the restoration of water ecology; they can serve as useful data for the development of an optimum vegetation model when planting in water spaces in the future and preparing proper planting plans for each space. In addition, it is believed that the information will be useful in wetland identification and evaluation by observing plant species that appear only in wetlands.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.273-282
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• 2007

For an efficient management and utilization of marine biodiversity information, we made an attempt to develop the Korea Marine Biodiversity Information System (KoMBIS), building a species name inventory of Korea marine organisms. The inventory includes 17 organism groups: phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae and halophyte, sponges, cnidarians, rotifers, nematodes, bryozoans, brachiopods, molluscs, echiurans, annelids, arthropods, echinoderms, urochordates and fish. The species names were collected from 37 different references and reviewed for validity by taxonomists, which resulted in 9,798 valid names in addition to 1,845 synonyms. The Korea marine species inventory is the first one of this kind, for previous Korean species name inventories were mostly composed of terrestrial and freshwater organisms. KoMBIS, the information system developed, contains not only the species name but also information on morphological and ecological characteristics such as distribution, DNA barcode, and references. This system is convenient for the inputting of new data and servicing users through the internet, so that management and utilization of the biodiversity information is more efficient. Linking the DNA barcode data with species information provides an objective measure for identification of a species, which accommodates the recommendation of Consortium for the Barcode of Life, and makes the Korea marine biodiversity information compatible with international databases. Considering the frequent exchange of marine organisms internationally via ballast water and such issues as climate change, this information system will be useful in many areas of marine biodiversity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 2019

Anisakiasis is a zoonotic disease induced by anisakid nematodes, and endoscopic inspection is used for a diagnosis or remedy for it. Anisakis simplex, Anisakis physeteris, and Pseudoterranova decipiens had been reported to be the major species causing human infections, particularly, in Japan. However, in Korea, recent studies strongly suggested that Anisakis pegreffii is the major species of human infections. To support this suggestion, we collected anisakid larvae (n=20) from 20 human patients who were undergone gastrointestinal endoscopy at a health check-up center in Korea, and molecular identification was performed on the larvae using PCR-RFLP analysis and gene sequencing of rDNA ITS regions and mtDNA cox2. In addition, anisakid larvae (n=53) collected from the sea eel (Astroconger myriaster) were also examined for comparison with those extracted from humans. The results showed that all human samples (100%) were identified as A. pegreffii, whereas 90.7% of the samples from the sea eel were A. pegreffii with the remaining 9.3% being Hysterothylacium aduncum. Our study confirmed that A. pegreffii is the predominant species causing human anisakiasis in Korea, and this seems to be due to the predominance of this larval type in the fish (sea eels) popularly consumed by the Korean people. The possibility of human infection with H. aduncum in Korea is also suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.390-402
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• 2011

A preliminary study on species composition of a Korean purse seine catch landed at cannery was conducted in April 2011. In the cannery, all tuna catch are sliding through a sorting grid panel that filters and drops fish in the buckets by size class (above 9kg, 3.4-9kg, 1.8-3.4kg, 1.4-1.8kg and below 1.4kg). In cannery processing, species sorting was made for skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna only from catches greater than 3.4kg during filtering but not for bigeye tuna because of difficulties in species identification between bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna under frozen state. As no species identification was carried out for catch groups less than 3.4kg in the cannery process, this study focused on sorting out skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna from these groups and then identifying bigeye tuna from all size groups of yellowfin tuna. Using the mixture rate of species obtained from the samples taken, species composition of the landed catch was estimated. As results, cannery research showed 95% for skipjack tuna, 3% for yellowfin tuna and 2% for bigeye tuna in species composition, while vessel logbook data represented 96%, 3% and 1% for skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna, respectively. The proportion of bigeye tuna identified in the cannery was slightly higher than shown in logbook data by 1%.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.34.1-34.13
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• 2018

Sexual maturity ($L_{50}$), the length at which 50% of fish in a size class are mature, is a key aspect of domestication of new fish species because it guides the procedure for identification of appropriate broodstock size for artificial spawning. In this study, the $L_{50}$ was determined for 1083 Barbus altianalis samples obtained from Lake Edward and the Upper Victoria Nile. Gonads of freshly killed samples were examined macroscopically and verified with standard histological procedures for the maturation stages that were used to determine $L_{50}$. Oocytes and spermatogenic cell sizes were compared for fish obtained from both water bodies. Results indicated that there were no variations in macro gonad features observed for fish from Lake Edward and Upper Victoria Nile. Similarly, there were no significant differences in oocyte sizes (P > 0.05) between the two populations but significant differences in spermatogenic cell sizes were noted (P < 0.05) except for spermatozoa (P > 0.05). This however did not suggest peculiar differences between the two populations for staging the gonads. Consequently, no staging variations were suggested for both populations in determination of $L_{50}$. Sexual maturity was found in the same class size of fork length (FL) 20-24.9 cm and 35-39.9 cm for males and females from both water bodies, respectively. At this FL, however, males were too small, and for good selection of vigor broodstocks for spawning and conservation purposes, they are better picked from class size of 30-34.9 cm FL and above. These findings were crucial for integration of appropriate breeding size in spawning protocol by farmers and fisheries scientists conserving wild B. altianalis populations.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.185-199
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• 2021

Vibriosis is an important septicemic bacterial disease that affects a variety of commercial fish species, including cultured Dicentrarchus labrax. Nanotechnology has become an important modern tool for fish diseases prevention. Furthermore, nanomaterials have the ability to prevent and treat fish diseases. The current study was aimed to identify the causative agent of massive mortality of D. labrax commercial farm in Alexandria, Egypt. Experimental infection and the median lethal dose (LD50) of pathogenic isolate were assessed. Also, the effect of ginger nanoparticles (GNPs) and Sacchromyces cerevisiae as feed additives for prevention of vibriosis in D. labrax was carried out. Similarly, the tissue immunstimulant genes, IL-1β and TLR2 were measured in the spleen of feeding groups. The clinical signs of naturally diseased D. labrax showed corneal opacity and paleness of gills with excessive mucous secretion. The post-mortem abnormalities were severe hemorrhage and adhesion of internal organs. After bacteriological isolation and identification, the causative agent of mortality in the current study was Vibrio alginolyticus. The LD₅₀ of V. alginolyticus was 1.5×10^5.4 CFU/ml. The experimentally infected D. labrax showed ulceration, exophthalmia and skin hemorrhages. The post-mortem findings of the experimentally infected D. labrax revealed internal hemorrhage, spleen darkness and paleness of liver. There is no mortality and 100% RPS in groups fed GNPs then injected with V. alginolyticus, in those fed a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae and a group fed normal diet then injected with physiological saline (control negative), respectively. Contrarily, there was 10% mortality and 87.5 RPS in the group fed S. cerevisae then injected with V. alginolyticus. On the other hand, the control positive group showed 79% mortality. The spleen IL-1β and TLR2 immunostimulant genes were significantly increased in groups of fish fed GNNP, S. cerevisiae and a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae, respectively compared to control group. The highest stimulation of those immunostimulant genes was found in the group fed a combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae, while fish fed S. cerevisiae had the lowest level. Dietary combination of GNPs and S. cerevisiae was shown to be efficient in preventing of vibriosis, with greatest stimulation of spleen IL-1β and TLR2 immunostimulant genes.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.624-629
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• 2017

A rainbow trout Onchorhynchus mykiss farm located in Gangwon province, South Korea, experienced approximately 10% mortality in June 2017. Most diseased fish had a markedly distended, gas-filled stomach, and exhibited abnormal behavior at the water surface. In this study, we attempted to identify the cause of stomach distension syndrome in those rainbow trout. The stomach of most of the affected fish were full of unidentified gases and some exudate, and yeast was isolated from the stomach mucosa. Pure cultures of yeast were identified using a multilocus sequence typing scheme based on 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacers, large subunit rRNA, and the gene encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1). The RPB1 gene sequences were compared with those of related species available in a database. The yeast was identified as Scheffersomyces coipomoensis (Candida coipomoensis) based on sequence analyses. This is the first study to reveal that Sch. coipomoensis is a potential causative agent of stomach distension syndrome in farmed rainbow trout. Our results will be helpful for future related studies, and indicate that farmers and stakeholders should observe this emerging disease closely.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 1987

Authors studied on the isolation of V. damsela from sea water, fish and shellfish at the Keoje Hae keumkang on the southern sea and at Hongdo island and Heucksan island on the western sea of Korea from May to September in 1986. Authors investigated for the isolated strains to bacteriological identification, hemolysis about various erythrocytes and antibiotic susceptibilities. The results obtained were as follows: 1. V. damsela was isolated 14 strains from total 383 specimens; 233 cases of sea water, 40 cases of fish and 110 cases of shellfish, respectively. Eight strains were isolated from sea water and 6 strains were isolated from shellfish. 2. The biochemical characteristics which differentiate it from other Vibrio species were indole negative, ornithine negative, Voges-Proskauer positive, arginine positive, galactose positive, glucose positive, maltose positive, mannose positive, trehalose positive, and growth in nutrient broth with 1% to 6% NaCl. 3. On hemolysis reaction on blood agar media using human, rabbit and guinea pig erythrocytes, human erythrocytes were 11 strain positive, rabbit erythrocytes were 12 strain positive and guinea pig erythrocytes were 13 strain positive. 4. Senistivity test using with chemotherapeutic agents of "BioLab" Microbial Sensitivity Test Discs were generally sensitived to amikacin, ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamycin, kanamycin, methicillin, penicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline and tobramycin, respectively, but were resistant to lincomycin.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2020

The genus Edwardsiella belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae is a member of Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria that cause disease in diverse aquatic organisms such as fish, amphibians and reptiles as well as avians and mammals including human throughout the world. This genus had been composed of three species, E. hoshinae, E. ictaluri and E. tarda, but recent researches erected two novel species, E. anguillarum and E. piscicida that were conventionally identified as E. tarda. In this study, we isolated seven strains belonging to the genus Edwardsiella from freshwater fishes that had been reared at inland fish farms in South Korea and investigated their biochemical characteristics and molecular phylogenetic relationships. The seven strains showed typical characteristics of four Edwardsiella species, E. anguillarum, E. ictaluri, E. piscicida and E. tarda, by biochemical analyses of Gram staining, indole and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production, and API (Analytic Profile Index) 20E test. Molecular phylogenetic analyses inferred from DNA sequence data of both 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB) genes were congruent with the biochemical characteristics. As a result, both biochemical and molecular phylogenetic analyses identified four strains isolated from three Anguilla species as E. anguillarum, E. piscicida and E. tarda, two strains from Pelteobagrus fulvidraco and Silurus asotus as E. ictaluri, and one strain from Moroco oxycephalus as E. piscicida. In this study, we isolated and successfully identified recently newly erected species, E. anguillarum and E. piscicida in addition to historically notorious pathogenic species, E. ictaluri and E. tarda. In the future study, systematic and comprehensive monitoring of the four Edwardsiella species are required for studying differences in pathogenicity among freshwater fishes.