• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.121-126
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• 2008

This study presents the results of basic sighting surveys conducted for dolphin watching from 2004 to 2006 in the northeastern waters of Jeju. The sighting probability of dolphins (bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus) was 71.9% (82 sightings out of 114 surveys). The dolphin's attractive behaviors observed included leaping, tail or peduncle slapping and surfing. The findings of this study provide useful baseline data for dolphin watching in the northeastern waters of Jeju.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.665-669
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• 2010

To confirm the distributon of finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides, in the South Sea of Korea, data on bycatch, stranding, and drifting of finless porpoises from 1999 to 2009 were used and a sighting survey was conducted from the R/V Tamgu No. 9 and 10 in June and November, 2009 and March, 2010. The total number of bycaught, stranded, and drifting finless porpoises was 607, with position being known for 186 of these. At the center of Yeosu, there were few position data on bycaught, stranded, and drifting finless porpoises, and data could not confirm the distribution of finless porpoises. Thus, there were limits on the usefulness of bycaught, stranded, and drifting data for confirming the distribution of finless porpoises. In the three sighting surveys, the sighting rate was highest at 0.231 ind./n.m. in the western South Sea in June, 2009. Sighting rate was less than 0.1 ind./n.m. in November, 2009 and March, 2010. This is likely to be due to seasonal migration in western South Sea. All sighting rates in the eastern South Sea were over 0.13 ind./n.m.. According to the results of the sighting survey, finless porpoises are distributed around the islands and inner bay along the path of the research vessel in the South Sea. There were numerous finless porpoises in the offshore areas of Mokpo, Yeosu, Tongyeong, Dadaepo, and Gaduk-do. This study will be utilized as part of a future abundance assessment of finless porpoise in the South Sea of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.889-898
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• 2023

This study was conducted to estimate the abundance of narrow-ridged finless porpoises Neophocaena asiaeorientalis in the West Coast of Korea, where they predominantly inhabit. Sighting surveys were conducted in March and November 2021-2022 using vessels and aircraft during the same time periods and along the same survey transects. The aerial surveys yielded significantly more sightings than shipboard surveys, with 8.5-21.6 times the abundance and 6.3-16.9 times the number of observations. The detection rates were 0.000-0.047 and 0.0103 to 0.539 per km² for shipboard and aerial surveys, respectively. The densities were estimated to be 0.003-0.061 and 0.236-1.898 individuals per km² in the shipboard and aerial surveys, respectively. The shipboard survey conducted in March 2022 and the aerial survey conducted in November 2021 had the highest detection rates and abundance. In the coastal waters, shipboard sighting surveys face numerous challenges due to factors such as fishing gear, islands, and shallow water depths. In contrast, aerial surveys have the advantage of a shorter survey period and are less affected by weather, fisheries, coastal lines, and other variables. Thus, they are highly suitable for studying narrow-ridged finless porpoises in the coastal areas of the West Sea.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.978-982
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• 2014

A mass mortality of 249 finless porpoises Neophocaena asiaeorientalis occurred in the Saemangeum Dyke in February 2011. It was an extraordinary event, notable due to the death toll and the location of the occurrence, a semi-isolated lake enclosed by a man-made structure. We conducted sighting surveys that consisted of a land-based sighting survey recorded from three different platforms, and a ship-based sighting survey in the lake. The land-based survey was dedicated to clarifying the distribution of finless porpoises and whether they passed through two water gates (Shinsi and Garyek) of the dyke from 2011 to 2013. No finless porpoises were observed in the 2011 or January 2012 surveys. In April 2012, two months and one year after the mass mortality, one finless porpoise, swimming 400 m from the Shinsi water gate, was observed by a land-based survey. The number of observed individuals increased to nine in 2012 and reached 10 by May 2013 at the time of the surveys. Most of the porpoises were detected near the Garyek water gate. The density of the animals was $0.075/km^2$ in 2012 and $0.083/km^2$ in 2013. The density of porpoises was $2.063/km^2$ at the time of the mass mortality.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.486-492
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• 2012

In the late 1970s, the National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI) started cetacean research to submit the Korean whale catch record to the International Whaling Commission. This continued until the moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. The NFRDI resumed cetacean research with a pilot whale sighting survey in 1999. Subsequently, the NFRDI has conducted 53 cetacean sighting surveys within the Korean exclusive economic zone between 2000 and 2010. The surveys took a total of 760 days and cruising for 23,866 nautical miles. The finless porpoise Neophocaena asiaeorientalis was sighted most frequently (735 times), followed by the minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata (396 times), the long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis (102 times), and the Pacific white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (27 times). Minke whales were distributed in the Yellow Sea and coastal area of the East Sea from spring to fall. Pacific white-sided dolphin sightings were restricted to the middle and upper coastal areas of the East Sea in summer. Common dolphins were sighted from east of the southern coast to the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula from spring to fall. Finless porpoise occurred in all Korean coastal areas, except the middle and upper eastern coast.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.966-969
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• 2013

Vessel-based sighting surveys for cetaceans have been conducted in Korean waters since 2000. The supporting data estimate the abundance of finless porpoises along the west coast of Korea; however, they are insufficient because of the coverage and frequency of the surveys. A preliminary aerial survey was conducted in 2011, and the results were assessed with respect to a sighting survey operated by a research vessel in order to compare effectiveness and potentiality. A total of 110.00 nautical miles of effective efforts were made with three sightings under Beaufort scale 4 in the aerial survey, while the vessel-operated survey covered 403.38 nautical miles over 7 days without any sightings under Beaufort scale 4. The standard deviation of the altitude in this survey was 22.7 m, which was significantly higher than that of the referenced study of 4.3 m.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.481-489
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to analyze the understanding of the sighting and hearing elementary school students have through drawing. For this purpose, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 602 elementary school students. The questionnaire was composed with open-ended question developed by West et al.(2008). This questionnaire was presented only appearance of face. And let them express the sensory pathway by drawing and writing. The students' responses for questionnaire were classified by 5 levels. Inner-researcher consistency was 0.89, inter-researcher consistency was 0.83. The data analyzed were ${\chi}^2$ by using SPSS. The result of this study were as following: First, elementary school students have misconception of sighting and hearing. There were no difference among the grade. In spite of becoming upper grade, students have still misconception. Second, scientific concept that male students have were significantly more than female. Third, the concepts of the anatomically organs are more exposed in real-life situations, students known better. Within these results, it would be used for developing teaching-learning strategies which can use misconceptions students have.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2007

A giant jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai), which is presumed developing in the East China Sea, is recently one of major issues in the Northeast Asia region due to its fatal damage to the fishery. The biomass estimates have generally been conducted by trawl sampling and sighting survey methods. The biological research is also needed to clarify such environmental origin or diurnal migration patterns. While trawl sampling or sighting survey methods are effective to investigate its density estimates in its distributed community of near bottom or surface, they have a problem in investigation on the vertical distribution of jellyfishes. In this case, an echo sounding detection would have an advantage to survey it more extensively and effectively. This trial was conducted to observe the vertical distribution of giant jellyfish, where thermocline strongly formed, during mooring at each station of the East China Sea and southern coastal area using acoustical and optical methods. By the results, they were observed to exit and move at the water column under the thermocline using the optical camera and echo sounder system, and the information was analyzed to find out the acoustical sound scattering characteristics relatives to 120kHz frequency. These results can be utilized effectively to estimate the vertical distribution and biomass of Giant jellyfish with comparing results from trawl sampling and sighting survey methods, hereafter.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2011

Seabird distribution in the East Sea was studied from April to May 2007 using line transect counts. We observed a total of 1,379 individuals of 23 species including 14 species of seabird. The overall seabird sighting rate was 2.5 birds $km^{-2}$. The Streaked shearwater(Calonectris leucomelas)(74.5%) was the numerically dominant species. Ancient murrelets(Synthliboramphus antiquus)(8.3%), red-throated divers(Gavia stellata)(5.0%), common terns(Sterna hirundo)(2.1%), Pacific divers(Gavia pacifica)(2.0%), and black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris)(1.1%) were also frequently observed. The sightings of seabirds was highest between $36^{\circ}N$ and $37^{\circ}N$ of the coastal area of the Korean peninsular. However, the index of species diversity(H') was higher between $35^{\circ}N$ and $36^{\circ}N$. The sighting rates of most observed species decreased with distance from the coastline. The distribution patterns of Streaked shearwater were linked to the variation in the distribution pattern of minke whales(Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Also, spatial segregation was found in the distributions of the two species of divers(Gavia spp.).

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.578-586
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• 2014

The seasonal appearance and distribution of finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) was investigated with sighting survey method around Wido in West sea, Korea. Fishing survey with drag net was also conducted to investigate the species composition of inhabitants and the consignment quantity data of fisheries cooperation was collected to confirm the seasonal change of the composition and quantity of them. Finless porpoise didn't emerged around Wido in winter season, but the number of appearance in summer season amounted to 1~15 indv. for 15 observing points and the appearance frequency became lower in open sea than in inshore. There was also significant relationship between the appearances of finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) and that of inhabitants. we consequently concluded that finless porpoise typically distributes from April to september, and moves to another area for wintering and food consumption from October to March.