• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.217-225
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• 1998

This study was performed to compare the effects of a fish cage on the structure of meiobenthic communities at two locations during May, 1996. The number of meiofaunal taxa at the existing cage site and control site was 15 and 26, respectively. Nematoda was the most dominant group of meiobenthos. Nematoda and Sarcomastigophora comprised more than $90\%$ of total meiofauna at both sites. The total density of control site was 7,702 inds./$10\;cm^{2}$ which is 10 times more than that of fish cage site. The density was highest in the upper 1 cm and decreased with sediment depth. The nematodes/harpacticoid copepods ratio as an index of pollution monitoring for benthic ecosystem at fish cage site was two times higher than at control site. Kinorhyncha known to be sensitive to pollution stress was not found at fish cage site.