• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.243-246
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• 2006

In order to determine the current infection status of pond smelts, Hypomesus olidus, and other freshwater fishes with trematode metacercariae, a total of 4,861 pond smelts and 18 other freshwater fishes, collected from the Soyang and Uiam Lakes in Gangwon-do, the Unam Lake in Jeollabuk-do, the Jangseong Lake in Jeollanam-do, the Uirim-ji (lake) in Chungcheongbuk-do, and the Andong Lake in Gyeongsangbuk-do, were individually digested with 1 % pepsin-HCI and examined under a dissecting microscope. In all pond smelts caught from the 6 lakes, we were unable to detect any known human infectious trematode metacercariae in Korea. However, in other freshwater fishes, such as, Squalidus japonicus coreanus (Unam Lake), and Zacco platypus (Jangseong Lake) and Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis (Jangseong Lake), metacercariae of human-infecting trematodes, i.e., Clonorchis sinensis and Metagonimus sp. were detected, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.3 s.113
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• pp.289-296
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• 2005

The fish fauna and community structure at 20 stations in streams of the Mt. Biseul were investigated from June 2003 to May 2004. During the study period, 29 species, 25 genera belonging to 9 families were collected. Cyprinid fish occupied 48.3% (14 species) and cobitid fish had 13.8% (4 species). Six species (22.2%) were korean endemic and two species of Micropterus salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus were exotic. It was found that the population density of carnivorous fish (Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis) increased in the lower-reach of small streams in the Mt. Biseul area since it had been introduced from the other native rivers in the middle 1990s. As the result of analyzing fish community in the surveyed area, the species diversity ranged from 0.553 to 1.023. The findings showed that the Geumpo, Chacheon and Hyeonpung streams had higher species diversity indicies of 0.936 ${\sim}$ 1.023 than the Sincheon and Gisegok streams with 0.553 ${\sim}$ 0.727.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2018

Diversity of fish fauna and species list collected from the Imha-Dam Reservoir of the Nakdonggang River system were reviewed based on the published materials from 1992 to 2016. As a result of the present study, 46 freshwater fish species/subspecies belonging to 36 genera, 11 families, 4 orders were reported in the Imha-Dam Reservoir. Of them, Cyprinidae occupied 58.7% (27 species), Cobitidae 10.9% (5 spp.), Gobiidae 6.5% (3 spp.), and Siluridae, Centropomidae, Centrarchidae were 4.3% (2 spp.) in the number of species, respectively. The dominant species in the number of individuals was Erythroculter erythropterus (40.1%, 9,333 inds.), and the subdominant species was Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis (9.8%, 2,281 inds.). Among 46 species/subspecies, 17 species (37.0%) were identified as endemic species to Korea. Three species were endangered fish species by the Ministry of Environment of Korea, five translocated species, and three exotic species were reported.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.134-138
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• 2009

The survival rate of PIT tagged fish was investigated for five Korean Cyprindae fish species, Acheilognathus lanceolatus (n=18, total length : $92.5{\pm}13.1mm$; body weight : $9.6{\pm}4.3g$), Hemibarbus labeo (n=28, TL : $220{\pm}74.4mm$; BW : $91.8{\pm}76.2g$), Zacco koreanus (n=13, TL : $116.5{\pm}23.8mm$; BW : $13.6{\pm}10.6g$), Zacco platypus (n=108, TL : $100.6{\pm}17.8mm$; BW: $8.7{\pm}4.8g$), Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis (n=6, TL : $161.8{\pm}26.3mm$; BW : $27.5{\pm}18.3g$) with respect to applicability and effectiveness of PIT tagging. The survival rate were daily checked for 30 days. The survival rate was the highest and lowest for Z. koreanus and Z. platypus, respectively. The survival days were greater as fish total length increased. Based on these results, PIT tagging is not effective for Z. platypus, while PIT tagging for fish>150 mm was effect for field research.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 2018

A recent topic of interest within ecology is ecosystem services that are importantly connected with biodiversity. Biodiversity is a fundamental component of ecological studies and has been the subject of many studies worldwide. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish were not undertaken in earnest until 2000, and the number of internationally available studies is therefore still limited. In this study, we used data from "The Survey and Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Health (hereafter SEAEH)" within the framework of which whole water systems on the Korean peninsula are annually monitored to investigate and determine the current status of the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish, as well as to elucidate major factors impacting freshwater fish. A total of 130 species from 28 families were identified at around 953 sites in the SEAEH investigation of 2014. The species Zacco platypus (relative abundance: 28.2%) and Z. koreanus (19.3%) were identified as the most abundant species on the Korean peninsula, and besides these 20 endangered species, 51 endemic species and 4 exotic species were also collected. Highest (96 species) and lowest (72 species) diversity were identified in the Han River Watershed and the Yeongsan/Seomjin River Watershed, respectively. The mean endemic rate was 32.7%, which is higher than the previous rate determined in 1995. The exotic species Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus and Carassius cuvieri were found in the whole river system except north Yeongdong, whereas Oreochromis niloticus occurred only at three sites due to the cold water temperatures in winter. Totally, 28 species were found to be translocated to different water systems not connected with known original habitats, most translocations occurring in the Nakdong River and the Yeongdong region. Among the translocated species, Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, and Erythroculter erythropterus were dominantly distributed in the mid- to lower reaches of Nakdong River where they may be harmful to the native fish assemblages due to their strong predation. The construction of weirs in connection with the "4 River Project" generated changes in fish assemblages before, during and after the project, resulting in altered habitat condition. Especially, a decrease in the number of endemic species and an increase in the abundance of lentic species were seen. Human-induced global warming will allow exotic species requiring high water temperatures to adapt to the environmental conditions of the Korean peninsula, which may enhance the diversity of native fishes and create changes in distribution. For the establishment of realistic and efficient management and protection strategies for Korean freshwater fish, SEAEH, which produces fundamental and quantitative data for Korean streams, is an important and necessary tool.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.393-401
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• 2013

The objectives of this study were to analyze structures of fish community and the ecological health using a multi-metric fish model, the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) in the Backje Weir of Geum River during two periods namely before-the-fishkill ($B_f$) and after-the-fishkill ($A_f$). The total number of fish species observed were 32 and among them 10 species (35%) were Korean endemic species. The exotic species observed were 3 which decreased by 0.4% after-the-fishkill ($A_f$). The dominant species were Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis (13%) at the Bf period and Squalidus japonicus coreanus (17%) at the Af period in the Backje Weir. At after the fishkill ($A_{f-I}$) total biomass was about 10 times lower than the biomass before-the-fishkill ($B_f$). The biomass of Carassius auratus decreased 98% after-the-fishkill and as time passed by the biomass recovered to nearly 100%. Similar decrease in the biomass occurred in the population of Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, while Rhinogobius brunneus population increased. According to the structure analysis of fish community, species richness index, evenness index and species diversity index were high but after-the fishkill, the values of indices decreased. Tolerant species (64%) dominated the fish community, and the sensitive species (2%) were rare, indicating the degradation of the ecosystem. According to analysis of the multi-metric model (IBI), the mean model value of the fish community in Backje Weir was estimated as 17.5 indicating a "fair condition".

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 2022

This study surveyed the characteristics of fish communities in Hwapocheon Wetland, Korea, from May to September 2020. The survey collected 735 objects in 21 species belonging to 7 families from 8 survey stations. The dominant and subdominant species were Hemiculter eigenmanni(23.8%) and Micropterus salmoides(10.3%), respectively. The next most abundant species were Zacco platypus(9.5%), Carassius auratus(9.4%), Pseudorasbora parva(9.0%), Squalidus chankaensis tsuchigae(6.7%), Acheilognathus macropterus(5.4%), Lepomis macrochirus(5.2%), Pseudogobio esocinus(4.1%), Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis(3.7%), and Carassius cuvieri(3.3%). Among the fish species collected, one species, Culter brevicauda, was class II endangered wildlife designated by the Ministry of Environment, and one species,S. c. tsuchigae(4.8%), was endemic to Korea.Additionally, three exotic species (M. salmoides, L. macrochirus, and C. cuvieri) and one landlocked species (Rhinogobius brunneus) were collected. Compared to previous studies, the proportion of fish living in the running water area tended to decrease, the proportion of fish living in the water purification area tended to increase, and ecosystem-disturbing species (M. salmoides and L. macrochirus) tended to increase gradually. Results of fish community analysis showed that the mainstream stations (St. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8) had low dominance, but high diversity and richness, and other stations (St. 2 and 7) had high dominance but low diversity and richness. The river health (index of biological integrity) evaluated using fish was assessed as bad (6 stations), normal (1 station), and very bad (1 station). The water quality grade was assessed as slightly bad due to the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic content (TOC), suspended solid (SS), and total coliforms (TC). The annual water quality showed a gradually increasing trend of biological oxygen demand (BOD), COD, SS, and chlorophyll-a. The stable life of fish and the improvement of river health in Hwapocheon Wetland require water quality improvement and the systematic management of ecosystem-disturbing species (M. salmoidesand L. macrochirus).

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.603-614
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• 2022

This study investigated the characteristics of fish communities in the Bangtaecheon Stream in Korea from April to October 2020. The survey collected 4,640 fish of 26 species in 9 families from 11 survey stations. The dominant and subdominant species were Rhynchocypris kumgangensis(relative abundance at 31.5%) and Zacco koreanus(27.8%), respectively. The next most abundant species were Ladislavia taczanowskii(15.9%), Pungtungia herzi(4.0%), Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis(3.7%), Microphysogobio longidorsalis(2.4%), and Zacco platypus(2.3%). Among the collected fish species, 17 (65.4%) were Korean endemic species, 4 (15.4%), including Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Gobiobotia brevibarba, and B. l. tsinlingensis,were class II endangered wildlife as designated by the Ministry of Environment, and 1 species, Hemibarbus mylodon, was a natural monument. Moreover, two landlocked species (B. l. tsinlingensisand C. koreanus) were also collected. Additionally, four cold-water species (R. kumgangensis, L. taczanowskii, B. l. tsinlingensis,and Cottus koreanus) were collected, and all of them mainly inhabited the upper and middle streams. Fish community analysis showed a tendency for dominance and uniformity to decrease and abundance and diversity to increase from upstream to downstream and that the community structure was divided into upstream and downstream groups. The river health was rated as excellent (9 stations) and good (2 stations). Compared to the previous studies, three species (Carassius auratus, Leiocassis ussuriensis,and Siniperca scherzeri) appeared in the past but did not appear in this survey, and three species (Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, Microphysogobio yaluensis,and Orthrias nudus) that did not appear in the past appeared in this survey. Bangtaecheon Steam is well-preserved, and climate-sensitive species, endangered wildlife, and natural monuments inhabit the stream. Therefore, continuous attention and systematic conservation measures are required.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 2013

The objectives of this study were to analyze chemical the water quality related to the fish community and to evaluate the ecosystem health based on the faunal composition and guild structure in 2007 in Baekma River. Mean concentrations of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 2.8 and $4.0mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively and total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were $5.0mg\;L^{-1}$ and $158{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, which is indicating that the river is in an eutrophic state. Especially, organic pollution and eutrophication occurred in the downstream reach of Baekma River. A total of 19 fish species were collected during the study and the most dominant species was Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis accounted 48% of the total abundances. The proportion of sensitive species was low (2.3%), compared with that of tolerant species (71.8%). These results suggest that tolerant species and the biotic quality of the fish community was severely degraded. According to the multi-metric model, the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), the mean model value of the fish community in Baekma River was estimated as 14.8 indicating a "poor" condition. The minimum values of the IBI were observed in the downstreams, and this was mainly attributed to chemical pollutions of nutrients (N, P) and organic matters.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.226-238
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• 2011

Ichthyological fauna and community structure were surveyed in the Naeseong Stream around the planed Yeongju Dam, Yeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do from April 2007 to October 2009, During the survey period, 27 species (25 genera, 10 families) were collected. Cyprinid fish comprised 63.0% (17 species) and cobitid fish comprised 7.4% (2 species). Ten of the 27 species (37.0%) were endemic species. The dominant and subdominant species based on the number of individuals was Zacco platypus (43.2%) and Zacco koreanus (15.8%), respectively. Introduced from the other native rivers and exotic fish were Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, Leiocassis ussuriensis, and Micropterus salmoides (11.1%). The declining population density of Zacco koreanus and its subdominant status represents a change, since, up until the mid 1990's, it was widely distributed throughout the area and was the dominant species. The distribution area of Zacco koreanus decreased in size; by 2009, it no longer inhabited the lower reaches of the Naeseong Stream. On the other hand, Zacco platypus remained the dominant species throughout the area, except for the upper-reaches of the water-course. Gobiobotia naktongensis inhabited all areas of Naeseong Stream, which mainly has a sandy bottom. Analyses of the fish community revealed species diversity, even-ness and dominant indices were 0.881, 0.615, and 0.230 respectively. These results showed that the main river, in which the water width and flow are abundant and which has various habitats, has a higher species diversity (0.829) than the tributary (0.735).