• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.1B
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• pp.71-78
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• 2012

The habitat suitability is an important factor to estimate the distribution and size of the physical habitat in river. This suitability is also a key factor to decide the ecological flow discharge for the fish. For the ecological analysis in river, accurate values of habitat suitability index for various fishes are necessary. In general, fish habitat is affected by the physical factor of the flow depth and velocity as well as the chemical and biological factors of nutrient and attached algae. Thus, the condition of the fish habitat is expected to be changed with each watershed and tributary. In this study, the habitat suitability indices for fishes were proposed by using the field monitoring data in the rivers of the Han and Geum river watersheds. The proposed indices for three fishes are compared: Zacco platypus, Zacco temminckii, and Coreoleuciscus splendidus. The results show that Zacco platypus has a similar distribution of habitat suitability index in two watersheds. Zacco temminckii and Coreoleuciscus splendidus, however, have different distributions with watersheds. Also, for Zacco platypus, the developed indices at three tributaries of the Han river are compared: Cheng-mi stream, Dal stream, and Hong-cheon stream. The comparision shows that the index in the Cheng-mi stream is different with those in the other rivers. This is expected to be because of a high nutrient concentration at the Cheong-mi stream.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2023

Alien species are known to threaten regional biodiversity globally, which has increased global interest regarding introduction of alien species. The Ministry of Environment of Korea designated species that have not yet been introduced into the country with potential threat as alert alien species to prevent damage to the ecosystem. In this study, potential habitats of Esox lucius and Maccullochella peelii, which are predatory and designated as alert alien fish, were predicted on a national basis. Habitat suitability was evaluated using EHSM (Ecological Habitat Suitability Model), and water temperature data were input to calculate Physiological Habitat Suitability (PHS). The prediction results have shown that PHS of the two fishes were mainly controlled by heat or cold stress, which resulted in biased habitat distribution. E. lucius was predicted to prefer the basins at high latitudes (Han and Geum River), while M. peelii preferred metropolitan areas. Through these differences, it was expected that the invasion pattern of each alien fish can be different due to thermal preference. Further studies are required to enhance the model's predictive power, and future predictions under climate change scenarios are required to aid establishing sustainable management plans.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to provide essential data necessary to assess ecological flow requirements by understanding habitat conditions for fish species through monitoring an ecological environment in the Korea stream (Dal Stream) and building related database. On-site surveys were conducted for identifying ecological and habitat conditions at the four monitoring sites. Fish sampling was carried out at the selected four sites (St.) during the period ranging from September, 2008 to September, 2009. At the four sampling sites, we measured water surface elevation, depth and velocity at the cross-sections. Optimal Ecological Flowrates (OEFs) were estimated using the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) established for four fish species Zacco koreanus (St.1), Pungtungia herzi (St.2), Coreoleuciscus splendidus (St.3), and Zacco platypus (St.4) selected as icon species using the Physical HABitat SIMulation system (PHABSIM). Eighteen species (56.3%) including Odontobutis interrupta, Coreoperca herzi and C. splendidus were found endemic out of the 32 species in eight families sampled during this study period. The endangered species was collected Acheilognathus signifier, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa and Gobiobotia macrocephala, and this relative abundance was 9.4%. The most frequently found one was Z. platypus (31.3%) followed by C. splendidus (17.6%) and Z. koreanus (15.7%). The estimated IBI values ranged from 27.3 to 34.3 with average being 30.3 out of 50, rendering the site ecologically poor to fair health conditions. For C. splendidus (St.3), the dominant fish species in the stream, the favored habitat conditions were estimated to be 0.3-0.5 m for water depth, 0.4-0.7 m/s for flow velocity and sand-cobbles for substrate size, respectively. An OEFs of 8.5 m³/s was recommended for the representative fish species at the St.3.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.68-76
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• 2022

In this study, the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) was calculated in the Miho stream of the Geum river system, and the environmental ecological flow by point was evaluated. Two points (St.3 and St.8) representing the up and downstream of Miho Stream were selected, in order to calculate the Habitat Suitability Index, the depth and velocity at point where each species is appeared were investigated. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) was calculated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) method using the number collected by water depth and velocity section and the results of the flow rate survey. Two target species were selected in this study; dominant species and swimming species sensitive to flow. In the case of a single species of Zacco platypus, the water depth was 0.1 - 0.5 m and the velocity was 0.2 - 0.5 m/s. For species of swimming fish, the water depth was 0.2 - 0.5 m and the velocity was 0.2 - 0.5 m/s. The discharge-Weighted Useable Area (WUA) relationship curve and habitat suitability distribution were simulated at the Miho Stream points St.3 and St.8. At the upstream St.3 of Miho Stream, the optimal discharge was simulated as 4.0 m³/s for swimming fishes and 2.7 m³/s for Zacco platypus. At the downstream point of St.8, species of swimming fish were simulated as 8.8 m³/s and Zacco platypus was simulated as 7.6 m³/s. In both points, the optimal discharge of swimming fish was over estimated. This is a result that the Habitat Suitability Index for swimming fish requires a faster flow rate than the habitat conditions of the Zacco platypus. In the calculation of the minimum discharge, the discharge of Zacco platypus is smaller and is evaluated to provide more Weighted Useable Area. In the case of swimming fishes, narrow range of depth and velocity increases the required discharge and relatively decreases the Weighted Useable Area. Therefore, when calculating the Habitat Suitability Index for swimming fishes, it is more advantageous to calculate the index including the habitat of all fish species than to narrow the range.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.516-527
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• 2009

We assessed fish fauna and habitat suitability indexes in the Geum river basin. Field monitoring was conducted for ecological and habitat condition assessment at 23 sites from October 2007 to March 2009. The habitat suitability indexes established for dominant fish species using the monitoring data were employed to assess riverine health conditions such as composition ratio of fish species, richness and dominance indexes, bio-diversity(dominance index, diversity, evenness and richness), and water depth, velocity and substrate size. Twenty-one species(42%) including Rhodeus uyekii and Pseudopungtungia nigra were found endemic out of the 50 species in 11 families sampled during this study period. The most frequently found one was Zacco platypus(34.3%) followed by Z. koreanus(10.2%) and Coreoleuciscus splendidus(8.4%). For Z. platypus, the dominant fish species in the basin, the favored habitat conditions were estimated to be 0.1~0.9 m for water depth, 0~0.9m/s for flow velocity and silt(<0.1mm)~cobbles(100.0~300.0mm) for substrate size, respectively. Overall, it was concluded that the Geum river basin has been relatively well protected from the anthropogenic disturbance for the legally protected species including the endemic species studied in this study.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2B
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• pp.193-203
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• 2011

With the recent growth of environmental and ecological interests, various river restoration and habitat environment creation projects are being carried out. For this, the estimation of the habitat flow discharge is important. In U.S. and Europe nations, The instream flow incremental methodology (IFIM) has been used to estimate the habitat discharge. IFIM is the method that can be applied to evaluate the flow discharge for the suitable habitat. To use the IFIM in river, a habitat suitability index(HSI) for the target organism is needed. However, HSIs for only two species of Zacco platypus and Zacco temminckii were proposed from the field monitoring. Thus, for the estimation of the ecological flow rate for a group of fish, the development of the HSIs for various fish are necessary. In this study, physical data such as water level and flow rate, chemical data such as acidity and dissolved oxygen, and life data such as fish types and population are collected in Keum river watershed. Based on the 2,736 field data, HSIs for the following 6 fish are developed: Zacco platypus, Zacco temminckii, Microphysogobio yaluensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Pungtungia herzi, Pseudogobio esocinus. Through the comparison with HSIs in the literature, the developed HSIs are modified. Also, the limits of Froude number, pH, and DO for 6 fish are proposed. The HSIs developed in this study can be utilized as a essential data for performing river project evaluations.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.985-998
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• 2021

In general, the upstream dam changes downstream flow regime dramatically, i.e., from natural flow regime to hydropeaking flows. This study investigates the impact of the natural flow pattern on downstream fish habitat in a regulated river in Korea using the physical habitat simulation. The study area is a 13.4 km long reach of the Geum-gang River, located downstream from the Yongdam Dam, Korea. A field monitoring revealed that three fish species are dominant, namely Zacco platypus, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, and Opsariichthys bidens, and they account for 70% of the total fish community. Specially, Opsariichthys bidens is an indigenous species in the Geum-gang River. The three fish species are selected as target fish species for the physical habitat simulation. The Nays2D model, a 2D shallow water equation solver, and the HSI (Habitat Suitability Index) model are used for hydraulic and habitat simulations, respectively. To assess the impact of the natural flow pattern, this study uses the annual natural flow regime and hydropeaking flows from the dam. It is found that the natural flow regime increases significantly the Composite Suitability Index (CSI) in the study reach. Then, using the Building Block Approach (BBA), the scenarios for the modifying dam operations are presented in the study reach. Both Scenario 1 and scenario 2 are proposed by using the hydrological method considering both magnitude and duration of the inflow and averaging the inflow over each month, respectively. It is revealed that the natural flow regime embodied in scenario 1 and scenario 2 increases the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) significantly, compared to the hydropeaking flows. In conclusion, the modifying the dam operations by restoring to the natural flow pattern is advantageous to fish community.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2020

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of the restoration of the restoration technique on fish habitat using a physical habitat simulation in the Wonju-cheon Stream, Korea. The target species were Pungtungia herzi, Zacco platypus, and Zacco Koreanus, a dominant and sub-dominant species in the Wonju-cheon Stream. The River2D model was used for the computation of the flow and the habitat suitability index model was used to estimate the quality and quantity of habitat using habitat suitability curve. To assess the impact of pool-riffle sequence on change of fish habitat, this present study conducted using the each representative distance, namely, 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 300 m. Simulation results indicated that the pool-reffle sequence significantly increased the habitats for the target species than the result without considering pool-riffle sequence. On average, 53% of the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) increased due to pool-riffle sequence in the study area.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2021

In this study, fish and flow surveys were conducted at 12 survey points to calculate the fish habitat suitability index of Miho Stream in the Geum River Water System. The field surveys were conducted four times from September 2019 to May 2020. The results show the presence of 8 families, 37 species, and 5,754 individuals. The number of water purification species that preferred waters with a low flow rate was the highest. The habitat suitability index was calculated according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife method based on the populations collected at various water depths and flow rate sections and the flow rate survey results. For the dominant species, Zacco platypus and swimming species, the results were compared by calculating at Gasan Bridge and Palgye Bridge at the upper stream. The single species showed no significant difference between the upstream and downstream at water depths of 0.1 - 0.5 m and flow rates of 0.2 - 0.5 m/s. The species swimming ability was similarly calculated at water depths of 0.2 - 0.5 m and flow rates of 0.2 - 0.5 m/s. The dominant species, Pyramid, had a wide range of physical habitats. The habitat suitability index between the swimming species was similarly calculated. These results can be effectively used as basic data for calculating the environmental ecological flow rate and establishing a river restoration plan of the Miho Stream.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2019

This present study conducted the impact of the restoration of low-flow channel on fish habitat in a reach of the Wonju Stream, Korea. The target species were Zacco koreanus, a dominant species in the middle- and upper-stream of Wonju Stream. The River2D model was used for the computation of the flow and the habitat suitability index model was used to estimate the quantity and quality of fish habitat using habitat suitability curves. In order to restore the study area, the low-flow channel was identified through the bankfull discharge of the study reach, and the best hydraulic section was designed. In addition, various restoration techniques were applied to the low-flow channel through rocks, pool/riffle structures, and the change of the channel width. Simulation results indicated that the restoration of the best hydraulic section effects decreased habitat suitability for the target species. However, when various restoration techniques were applied, the WUA (Weighted Usable Area) was improved by about 11%.