• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

An estuary is an area where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean. Even before the importance of the value of estuaries was recognized, the estuary was lost because of large-scale conversion by draining, filling, damming, and dredging. In South Korea, 643 estuaries are located, and the total area is 3,248,300 ha, accounting for 32.5% of the total area of South Korea. Over 35% of Korean estuaries are closed estuaries which are only temporally connected with the sea, either permanently or periodically. Since 2008, in order to preserve the estuary ecosystem and solve major issues in the estuary by accumulating knowledge about the estuarine ecosystem, the Ministry of Environment of Republic of Korea has been conducting the "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project". At 668 sites of 325 estuaries, epilithic diatom, benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and vegetation are investigated, and the habitat condition of each site is evaluated using the newly developed biotic index. More than 100 researchers annually record 2,097 species of estuaries according to the standardized survey guidelines over the past 14 years and provide strictly managed data necessary for establishing estuaries conservation policies. As a result of bibliometric analysis of 1,195 research articles related to the monitoring and assessment of the estuarine ecosystem, research on pollutants such as heavy metals and sediment control have recently been conducted. "Estuarine Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Project" is an ecological monitoring type of long-term mandated monitoring that is usually focused on identifying trends. Although it is difficult to identify the mechanism influencing a change in an ecosystem through long-term mandated monitoring, providing empirical data for supporting evidence-based policy, decision-making, and the management of ecosystems. In order to increase the efficiency of the project, research to investigate the relationship between sediments and pollutants and organisms can be conducted at specific estuaries or sites to compensate for the shortcomings of mandatory monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.639-652
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• 2023

The fundamental background behind the introduction of the fishing vessel system is to allow petty small fishers to engage in pure fishery business activities with fishing vessels during normal times and engage in fishing vessel business only during specific periods (closed fishing season, etc.) thereby granting a qualification as an auxiliary tool for the economic activities of petty small fishers. In addition, fishing boats are allowed to engage in excursion ship activities using fishing vessels registered under the Fishing Vessels Act, the form of fishing vessels should also have a general and universal structure that is practically easy to engage in fishing activities in the field in accordance with the relevant regulations. However, most fishing vessel proprietors are currently focusing only on increasing income, and rather than building fishing vessels in a reasonable form suitable for the original purpose of general fishing vessels, they prefer an abnormal hull form equivalent to expediency, that is biased hull structure biased toward the fishing vessel business. As a result, it is causing serious problems in safety management as well as conflict [damaging relative equity in government support measures (tax-free oil supply, etc.), and depletion of livelihood-type fish stocks] with fishing vessel forces who consider the fishing vessel business only to be a part of the side job among all fishery business activities. Meanwhile, the most fundamental cause of this problem is that the current Fishing Management and Promotion Act, limits the concept of fishing vessels to fishing vessels registered under the Fishing Vessels Act, and applies survey standards accordingly. Accordingly, in this study, through analysis of the distribution status of fishing vessels, structural characteristics, operation status of fishing vessels, and the government's fishing promotion policies, etc., the relevant laws (regulations) have been reorganized to suit the current reality of the concept of fishing vessels to separate the current fishing vessel from fishing vessels and operate it as a fishing-only vessel.