• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2017.11a
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• pp.89-89
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• 2017

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.917-926
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• 2022

The green turtle Chelonia mydas has been designated as an endangered species globally due to its reduced population. Although C. mydas is not known to reproduce on the shores of the Korean peninsula, it has been listed as a protected marine species in South Korea. This study describes the first successful captive breeding of C. mydas in a commercial aquarium in South Korea and provides information on the early growth patterns of C. mydas hatched and reared in indoor facilities. C. mydas YS-B003 laid a total of 594 eggs in ten nesting events in the period December 2016-June 2017. Of these, 115 fertilized eggs from six events hatched successfully. The size of the newly hatched turtles differed significantly among nesting events. The hatchlings from the 8^th and 9^th nesting events were relatively smaller than those from the 3^rd and 5^th events. The rate of growth initially varied across the different events, but from the 1,000^th day, the inter-group variation disappeared. The present study provides useful information for future captive breeding of sea turtles in indoor facilities, which would contribute to the protection of these endangered sea turtle species.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.90-107
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• 2013

The Stone Monument of Taejong King in Heonreung Royal Tomb, Seoul was originally erected in 1424 to pay a tribute to Bang Won Lee's achievement who was named Taejong, the Third King of Joseon Dynasty. The monument has been damaged by Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 so that another monument was newly made and erected together with the original monument in 1695. The original monument was made of medium-grained biotite granite for the turtle base and medium-grained milky white crystalline limestone for the stele body and the top stone. The turtle base of the original monument is destroyed beyond the original shape and inscription due to irregular shaped breaking and a set of longitudinal crack. Analyzing the deterioration degree by using nondestructive methods, the 88 percentage of the front area and 38 percentage of the back area of the monument are damaged, and the lower part of the stele body is dominantly deteriorated especially due to the combination of discoloration and physical deterioration. The new monument in 1695 is also made of granite and limestone. The weathering indices of the turtle base and stele body stones by the calculation from ultrasonic velocity are 0.10 and 0.74, respectively. This is because the original monument is presumed to be degraded by heat shock and physical attack during the Japanese war, and the long-term outdoor exposure accelerated the weathering of the monument afterward without protective shelter.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 2016

Mother-of-pearl turtle shell lacquerware refers to a decoration made of a mother-of-pearl, a turtle shell and metal wires. This lacquerware features bright color tone as it is produced by sprinkling metal powder over its entire surface. This study aimed to find out its material properties and characteristics by using an optical microscopy and conducting a SEM-EDS analysis on the cross section of lacquer coating. As a result, it was found that charcoal powder and soil powder were mixed for undercoating. Then a mixture of cinnabar lacquer and monoclinic arsenic sulfide mineral ($As_2S_3$) was coated on the undercoating and brass powder was sprinkled on top of it. Especially, a little amount of pigment was found on the lacquer layer, which is distinguished from the colors used for conventional lacquer patterns. In addition, it was also found that the cinnabar lacquer and monoclinic arsenic sulfide mineral were mixed together.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.589-600
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• 2022

Longline fishery targeting tunas and tuna-like species is known to produce a significant amount of catch not only for the target species, but also for ecologically related species like sharks, marine turtles, sea birds and marine mammals. Recognizing this seriousness, tuna related regional fisheries management organizations (t-RFMOs) have established conservation and management measures (CMMs) to reduce bycatch and/or interaction with ecosystem vulnerable species including sea turtles and are obliged to implement bycatch mitigation measures and guidelines on safe release to their member countries. Along with development and strengthening of those measures, various case studies have been conducting to verify the effectiveness of bycatch mitigation for ecologically related species. This study examines the background and progress on developing CMMs of t-RFMOs and regulation programs of the United States related to sea turtles, which have recently become one of the main issues, and reviews case studies on sea turtle bycatch mitigation measures to find out the effectiveness of reducing bycatch rate and impacts to the fisheries. In order to respond the consultation process on certification determination with the United States, it was confirmed the current status of implementation on related measures conducted by Korean tuna longline fishery based on scientific observer data and survey for captains. Even though all Korean tuna longline fleets belong to the deep-set longline fishery (100-300m), which is not subject to the obligation of those mitigation measures, they are voluntarily implementing both measures, use of circle hook and whole finfish bait, regardless of which RFMO's Convention area they operate. And the national regulatory and management programs for sea turtle bycatch prevention adopted by Republic of Korea seems to be comparable in effectiveness to that of the United Stated. However, Korea needs to take preemptive measures in establishing sustainable fisheries, including the protection of the marine ecosystem and environment, as stronger requests are anticipated to be made by the international community on this matter.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.55-59
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• 2024

The remarkable economic growth achieved in the modern era has revitalized various industries, including pet trade. More than 2,000 species of non-native species have been introduced to South Korea and approximately 7.7 tonnes of alien turtles are imported annually. Turtles belonging to the family Kinosternidae. They are mostly small and popular pets, although they are designated as Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) species. In the present study, we present the first two species of musk turtles found in the wild in South Korea. On April 5, 2023 and July 8, 2023, an eastern musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) and a razorbacked musk turtle (Sternotherus carinatus) were captured in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do and Jung-gu, Daejeon, respectively. The carapace length was 88.6 mm for S. odoratus and 105.68 mm for S. carinatus. They were identified based on their morphological characteristics and mtDNA cytochrome b gene. These turtles were found in waterfront areas with over 1.4 million annual visitors. Both sites were found to have threatened amphibians and reptiles. There is an urgent need to continue monitoring and conducting risk assessments for the protection of endemic species in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.203-217
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• 2021

Background: Sea turtles, which are globally endangered species, have been stranded and found as bycatch on the Korean shore recently. More studies on sea turtles in Korea are necessary to aid their conservation. To investigate the spatio-temporal occurrence patterns of sea turtles on the Korean shore, we recorded sampling locations and dates, identified species and sexes and measured sizes (maximum curved carapace length; CCL) of collected sea turtles from the year 2014 to 2020. For an analysis of diets through stomach contents, we identified the morphology of the remaining food and extracted DNA, followed by amplification, cloning, and sequencing. Results: A total of 62 stranded or bycaught sea turtle samples were collected from the Korean shores during the study period. There were 36 loggerhead turtles, which were the dominant species, followed by 19 green turtles, three hawksbill turtles, two olive ridley turtles, and two leatherback turtles. The highest numbers were collected in the year 2017 and during summer among the seasons. In terms of locations, most sea turtles were collected from the East Sea, especially from Pohang. Comparing the sizes of collected sea turtles according to species, the average CCL of loggerhead turtles was 79.8 cm, of green turtles was 73.5 cm, and of the relatively large leatherback turtle species was 126.2 cm. In most species, the proportion of females was higher than that of males and juveniles, and was more than 70% across all the species. Food remains were morphologically identified from 19 stomachs, mainly at class level. Seaweeds were abundant in stomachs of green turtles, and Bivalvia was the most detected food item in loggerhead turtles. Based on DNA analysis, food items from a total of 26 stomachs were identified to the species or genus level. The gulfweed, Sargassum thunbergii, and the kelp species, Saccharina japonica, were frequently detected from the stomachs of green turtles and the jellyfish, Cyanea nozakii, the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, and kelps had high frequencies of occurrences in loggerhead turtles. Conclusions: Our findings support those of previous studies suggesting that sea turtles are steadily appearing in the Korean sea. In addition, we verified that fish and seaweed, which inhabit the Korean sea, are frequently detected in the stomach of sea turtles. Accordingly, there is a possibility that sea turtles use the Korean sea as feeding grounds and habitats. These results can serve as basic data for the conservation of globally endangered sea turtles.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.192-197
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• 2023

This study was conducted to determine whether the difference in egg hatching temperature of Korea Reeves' turtle (Mauremys reevesii) at the artificial nursery of Seoul National Grand Park affects the incubation period and growth. A total of 201 eggs were incubated at 26 ℃ (n=89), 28 ℃ (n=75) and 32 ℃ (n=37). The incubation period of eggs showed significant differences according to the hatching temperature. In this study, the higher the hatching temperature, the higher the hatching rate. The incubation period of the eggs hatched at 26 ℃, 28 ℃ and 32 ℃ was 66.1 (±4.0, n = 52) days, 65.3 (±3.3, n = 44) days and 58.8 (±7.7, n = 31) days, respectively. Eggs incubated at 32 ℃ (83.8%) had a higher hatching success than those at 26 ℃ (58.4%) and 28 ℃ (58.7%). The body mass of 14-day-old hatchlings incubated at 32 ℃ was greater than those incubated at 26 ℃ and 28 ℃. However, there was no significant difference in the mean body mass of 180 and 270-day-old turtles hatched at these different temperatures. This study showed that the hatching temperature significantly affected the incubation period and body mass in the early life of the Korea Reeves' turtle (M. reevesii).

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.970-976
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• 2016

Determining age structure of the population of an endangered species is critical because it could provide basic information about population dynamics. In this study, we assessed the possibility if the growth lines on dorsal scutes of the national monument as well as endangered Reeves' turtle (Mauremys reevesii) can reliably estimate actual ages of the 100 turtles of which actual ages were known and have been housed in Seoul Zoo. We counted the number of growth lines on the first four dorsal scutes and the first left and right lateral scutes of each turtle and compared those with their known actual ages. Ages estimated by the growth lines were overestimated at between 1 and 5 actual ages, but underestimated at between 6 and 9 actual ages, indicating that age estimation using growth lines is only partially applicable at actual ages of less than 6 years old. In addition, using length and width of turtle's dorsal plates, we produced growth curves with equations to estimate actual ages of females combined with juveniles, but its application to estimate actual ages was not reliably possible because all subject turtles which used were at relatively young ages. In conclusion, when estimating actual ages of Reeves' turtles using the number of growth lines on the dorsal scutes, it is recommend to use minimum values at less than 6 lines, but use maximum values at more than 7 lines. As the first study which estimated actual ages of a turtle species using growth lines on the dorsal scutes in Korea, our results could be useful to estimate ages of the endangered Reeve's turtles in the field although its application might be limited.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2021

Invasive species threaten global biodiversity as well as human livelihood and much of the global lands are vulnerable to these threats. Numerous freshwater turtles from the northern hemisphere have been introduced in East Asian countries, including the Republic of Korea. Knowing turtle's behavioral ecology is valuable to manage introduced populations and a distinctive behavior is basking for behavioral thermoregulation. To understand the possibility of using basking to enhance trapping, we tested thermotaxis in the river cooter (Pseudemys concinna). Turtles were placed in an aquarium containing heated and non-heated mats under controlled water and air temperature, air humidity and light. We found that P. concinna stayed significantly longer on heated mats than on unheated control mats in 11 out of 18 trials, demonstrating that heat source is a potential attractant for P. concinna. We recommend the use of heat source to bait traps used for population control of invasive freshwater turtles.