• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.523-530
• /
• 2020

Based on the results of harmful algal blooms (HABs) monitoring by the National Institute of Fisheries Science and local governments, the effects of changes in the marine environment on HABs are described. Since the beginning of HABs monitoring in 1972, they continued to increase from the 1980s to the 1990s. After the largest number of HAB incidents (109) in 1998; the trend declined until the 2010s. Most HABs in the 1970s were caused by diatoms. In the 1980s, coastal dinoflagellates caused HABs; Cochlodinium polykrikoides blooms have been occurring continuously since 1993. There are three HAB species that cause damage to fisheries in Korea. The high-density bloom of Karenia mikimotoi caused mass mortality in shellfish in Jinhae Bay in 1981. Karenia sp. blooms occurring around Tongyeong in 1992 killed aquaculture fish. Since the occurrence of the largest fisheries damage of KRW 76.6 billion in 1995 caused by C. polykrikoides blooms, they have been occurring continuously. The concentration of nutrients in coastal waters was the highest in the 1980s and has declined since the mid-1990s. This reduction in nutrient concentration is a good explanation for the decreasing number of HABs. Since 2016, a summer high water temperature of 30℃ or more has appeared, and the range and scale of C. polykrikoides blooms have been greatly reduced. In 2016, K. mikimotoi blooms occurred around Wando, Jangheung and Goheung and small scale blooms of C. polykrikoides occurred around Yeosu. There were no C. polykrikoides blooms in 2017; however, Alexandrium affine blooms occurred from Yeosu to Tongyeong. There was a small-scale blooms of C. polykrikoides in 2018 compared to those in the previous years. Our results show that reduction in nutrients and the high water temperature owing to climate change are a good explanation for variation in HABs in Korean coastal waters.