• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.89-106
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• 2012

This study estimated the size of ornamental fish market as the basis survey for the development of the ornamental fish industry in Korea. It presents improvement projects agendas for the development of the Korean ornamental fish industry by investigating the challenges of the ornamental fish industry and consumer awareness. First, looking at the size of the ornamental fish market, calculated on the basis of survey results, the size of ornamental fish market is analysed as 231.8 billion won. The actual ornamental fish market is presumed to be much larger than this considering unclear gross sales from e-commerce and group sales, goods excluded from the ornamental fish export, expensive ornamental fish transaction from smuggling are missing. Ornamental fish industry and consumer awareness survey results can be described as follows: First, revenue structure of the ornamental fish market depends on a handful of expensive purchasing group rather than on low-cost consumption group. Second, many members of the ornamental fish producers, wholesalers, road shops are small-scale. Third, the sale of aquarium fish and aquarium fish related supplies in road shop have different market structures. Fourth, ornamental fish consumption is in the ongoing recession. Fifth, ornamental fish industry hopes for expansion of distribution and Research & Development. Sixth, satisfaction of ornamental fish consumers is generally low. As described above, ornamental fish industry in Korea are vulnerable in the market structure and industry is small and the consumer's satisfaction degree is staying in the 'normal' level. If current state will continue, future consumption can be reduced. It is necessary to increase the competitiveness by using various method including reorganization of the structure of the ornamental fish industry even though it is hard to reach conclusion only with the results of the survey.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2007

Seahorse is an interesting organism for the study of its conservation as well as development as an marine ornament fish. To investigate the ecological characteristics and fish fauna around the habitat of such an endangered species, fishes were collected from the seahorse habitat. A total of 161 fishes were classified into 8 families and 11 species including two species of seahorse, Hippocampus mohnikei and H. coronatus representing 1.9% and 1.2%, respectively, of the population. The most dominant fish species in the area was Takifugu niphobles accounting for 30.4% of the population. The predators of the seahorse such as Acanthopagrus schlegeli, Lateolabrax japonicus and Lateolabrax maculatus were found in the relative abundance of 0.6%, 5.6%, and 11.8%, respectively. The relative abundance of H. coronatus ($0.96\;ind./1,000\;m^2$), H. mohnikei ($0.97\;ind./1,000\;m^2$) and the other coexisting fishes are similar in all the areas investigated (P>0.05).