• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.739-744
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• 2015

The sexual maturation and spawning time of female ocean sunfish Mola mola in Korean waters were studied by observing the gonads histologically. Specimens were purchased in a fish market in October 2013 and May, June, and October 2014. Nine females (total length 100-250 cm, gonad weight 31-3,470 g) and one male (total length 131 cm, gonad weight 60 g) were studied. Histologically, the ovaries became active in May and spawning began in July and continued until October. In July, mature oocytes and yolk globule stage oocytes were observed; parts of the gonad showed traces of spawning, while others had degenerated and absorbed any oocytes. By October, many oocytes had degenerated and been absorbed. Therefore, the approximate spawning period of ocean sunfish is from July to October based on histological changes in the gonads. The asynchronous oocyte development suggests that the ocean sunfish is a multiple spawner, as reported previously. The catch distribution data suggest that the waters around Jeju Island are a sunfish spawning area.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.851-855
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• 2013

To determine the status of sunfish fishery, fishing places, body size, weight, etc. were investigated from 2010 to 2012 in Busan Cooperative Fish Market. Most of the sunfish were caught by large purse seine around Jeju island, and the fishing ground of sunfish were reached from Heuksando in the southern Yellow Sea to Guryongpo in the southern East Sea. The range of total length (TL) of the sunfish caught by purse seine was 55-271 cm, and the estimated length-weight relationship was $BW=8E-06TL^{3.3797}$. From the relationship, the weight of 50 cm in total length was estimated to be ca. 4 kg, TL 100 cm was ca 46 kg, TL 200 cm was ca 478 kg, and TL 271 cm was estimated to be 1,336 kg.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2012

The biochemical composition of muscle from three deep-sea animals, Tanaka's eelpout Lycodes tanakae magistrate armhook squid Berryteuthis magister, and ocean sunfish Mola mola caught in the East sea in South Korea was determined. The moisture (81.4-93.8 g/100 g), crude protein (5.0-15.6 g/100 g), crude lipid (0.1-1.5 g/100 g), and ash (1.0-1.1 g/100 g) contents of the two fishes were analyzed. The proximate composition of magistrate armhook squid was: moisture 84.0 g/100 g, crude protein 12.4 g/100 g, crude lipid 0.7 g/100 g, and ash 1.5 g/100 g. There was little difference in the proximate compositions of the three animals. The total amino acid contents of Tanaka's eelpout, magistrate armhook squid, and ocean sunfish were 14.64, 10.75, 3.10-9.95 g/100 g, respectively. High levels of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, and arginine were found, while low levels of histidine, glycine, and cysteine were detected in the animals. A survey of the free amino acid contents of the animals revealed large amounts of alanine and glycine. Significant differences were found in the fatty acid composition among the three species. Specially, different saturated fatty acids (17.14-40.49%) such as C16:0, and C18:0, monounsaturated fatty acids (19.19-46.88%) such as C16:1, and C18:1, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (35.41-57.08%) such as EPA, and DHA was identified. Our results suggest that each of these deep sea animals possesses nutritional value and should be considered as a foodstuff.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.325-329
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• 2009

Lepomis macrochirus from the family Centrarchidae, commonly known as Bluegill sunfish, is an introduced freshwater fish in Korea that thrives in lakes, ponds, reservoirs and rivers. Since its introduction into Korea in 1969, Lepomis macrochirus has rapidly dispersed out and increased in number almost all over the freshwater ecosystems in Korea. Consequently this species causes a severe ecological problem, threatening native fishes due to its omnivorous foraging behaviors upon fish juveniles and many freshwater invertebrates. To address population genetic structure of L. macrochirus, 74 fish samples from 10 populations were collected and compared for their mitochondrial D-loop control region. As the result we found that the genetic diversity of L. macrochirus is extremely low such as resulting only four haplotypes with a few nucleotide differences among them. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that the source of population genetic variation is largely retained in the comparisons among individuals within populations, while it is relatively low with slight significance at the highest hierarchical group. This distribution pattern differs from what is expected when biogeography is under the influence of natural geographic barriers such as mountain ranges in Korea. Instead the result is accord with the influential role of random spreading events facilitated by local people for aquaculture and fishing, and subsequent dispersals since its single point of introduction into Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.147-153
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• 2014

Structural heterogeneity results in different spatial distributions of microcrustaceans. Thus, in ecosystems with excessive macrophyte development, it may be difficult to determine the microcrustacean species composition. Given the importance of microcrustaceans in the food web, the elucidation of microcrustacean diversity is essential. In vegetated habitats, bluegill sunfish can prey on microcrustaceans, and therefore have a potential role as microcrustacean monitoring agents. In the present study, we compared microcrustacean species compositions in the field with those in the guts of bluegill, in Jangcheok Lake, South Korea. Our results showed that the number of microcrustacean species was higher in bluegill guts than in the field. Further, microcrustacean species, such as Daphnia galeata, Graptoleveris testudinaria, Leydigia leydigii, Rhynchotalona sp., and Simocephalus exponisus, were found only in bluegill guts. Our findings verify the validity of the fish gut analysis to monitor microcrustacean species compositions and to clarify spatial distributions of microcrustacean species in structurally heterogeneous ecosystems with excessive macrophyte development.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1513-1522
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• 2014

Fish passage asssessments were conducted in the fishway at Juksan Weir, which was constructed as a four-major rivers project in the downstream area of Youngsan-River Watershed. For the research, fish-movements/migrations were analyzed for seven times from April ~ October, 2013 using an approach of fish trap-setting. Fish fauna and compositions were analyzed in the fishway, and seasonal- and diel-movement patterns were analyzed in relation to current velocity in the fishway. Also, abundances of exotic fishes such as bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), large-mouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and white curcian carp (Carassius cuvieri) were monitored in the fishway. Current velocity(n = 18) in the fishway showed large variations ($0.82{\pm}0.63m/s$) depending on the location of the fish trap-setting and this physical factor influenced the fish movements. Fish movements, based on the CPUE of individuals, in the fishway was greater in slower velocity (mean: 0.36 m/s, range: 0.10~1.54 m/s) than faster velocity (mean: 1.51 m/s, range: 0.90~1.90 m/s). Seasonal analysis of fish movements showed that most frequent uses (8 speices and 591 individuals, 66.2% of the total) of the fishway occurred in spring period(i.e., June). Diel movement analysis, in the mean time, showed highest in the time period of 00:00 ~ 3:00 am (7 species and 281 individuals, 20.9% of the total). The efficient managements in the fishway at Juksan Weir are required in relation to the hydrological regime.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Biology Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.137-140
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• 2002

To determine if fish density, biomass, species richness, and species diversity were greater in ecotone than the stream and littoral zones, I sampled fish monthly in the Ledbetter Creek through Ledbetter Creek Embayment in Kentucky Lake, Kentucky, from April to October 1996 by using throw traps. During the first four months (daytime only) fish density did not vary significantly among zones or among months. However, there were significant differences among zones during the last three months and the stream zone had significantly higher mean fish density than both the littoral zone and the ecotone. Fish biomass also differed significantly among zones during the last three months. The stream zone had the highest mean fish biomass among zones, significantly higher than the ecotone, but not different than the littoral zone. There were no statistically significant differences among zones during the first four months, but mean fish biomass in the stream zone was about eight times higher than the ecotone, The stream zone had the highest fish species richness among zones. Differences were significant among zones during the last three months, and the stream zone (0.98 $\pm$ 0.04) had significantly greater mean fish species richness than the ecotone (0.45 $\pm$ 0.01), but not significantly than the littoral zone (0.56 $\pm$ 0.17). Fish species richness differed significantly among months during the first four months, Monthly species diversities ranged from 0.62 to 1.96 in the stream zone, 0 to a.57 in the ecotone, and 0 to 2.60 in the littoral zone. Combined species diversities in the stream, the ecotone , and the littoral zones were 2.72, 3.58, and 3.10, respectively, There were five families of fishes captured frequently enough for their individual numbers to comprise at least 8 % of the total. Family rankings in the stream zone were opposite of the littoral zone. Percidae was the most abundant family and Clupeidae was absent in the stream zone, whereas Percidae was uncommon and Clupeidae was the most abundant family in the littoral zone. Atherinidae was dominant in the ecotone. Five of the most abundant species comprised 65 % of the total number. The guardian darter occurred only in the stream zone, and it was consistently found in riffles. Longear sunfish and central stoneroller also had significant differences of mean fish densities among zones, and they were found mostly in the stream zone. Threadfin shad and bullhead minnow were almost exclusively caught in the littoral zone. I finally concluded that the ecotone between the stream and the littoral zone in this small-scale freshwater aquatic ecosystem was not as productive as the ones in other ecosystems.