The mesh selectivity of a drum shaped pot for finely-striate buccinum (Buccinum striatissimum) was conducted a total of eight times with four different mesh sizes (22, 35, 50 and 60 mm) from May to September, 2019 in the eastern coastal waters of Korea. The size selectivity analysis was estimated by the SELECT method to express logistic selectivity curves. In the results, the catch of finely-striate buccinum was occupied about 90% in the total catch weight. The equation of the master curve of selectivity was estimated to s(R) = exp(-7.778R+9.983)/[1+exp(-7.778R+9.983)]. The relative shell height of 50% selection was 1.284 and the selection range (SR) was 0.282. The optimal mesh size for 50% selection on the minimum maturation size (75 mm, Shell height) was estimated more than 60 mm by the master selectivity curve.

This study describes how the illustration book of Korean coastal and offshore fishing boats was published. The illustration book provides information on fisheries which need boats for their fishing operation. The book contains 25 fishing boats belonging to 15 offshore fisheries and six boats belonging to five coastal fisheries totalling 31 boats belonging to 20 kinds of fisheries. Until now, no books were available in Korea on fishing boats which provided illustrated descriptions of their use in fishing. We carried out field and literature surveys of fishing boats for three years (2016-2018) and the results were compiled into three-dimensional modeling images with schematic drawings of fishing boats, along with text explanations. The particulars and technical drawings of lines, general arrangement (GA), fishing gears and methods are collected and summarized. All fishing boats are modeled with 3D color graphics. The particulars and names of the main items of the fishing equipment are presented besides structural parts. In addition the fishing gear, fishing season and grounds, number of crews and target species for each boat are correctly described. The illustration book of Korean coastal and offshore fishing boats will contribute to understanding the current status of fishing techniques in Korea and will assist in developing new types of fishing boats.

The annual production of silver croaker (Argyrosomus argentatus) in Korean towed fishing gears has been increased in recent five years. In 2017, the annual production of silver croaker in metric ton was increased 99.2% compared to 2013. However, the research for silver croaker has been focused on ecology in Korea. There has not been enough research in terms of fishing gears. Therefore, the research for retention probability for towed gears was conducted on covered codend method from June, 2016 to July, 2018. During the experiments, the total catch of silver croaker was 1,563. The geometry of the experimental trawl gear was controlled by trawl monitoring system; net height was 3.3 m, distance of trawldoors was 59.8 m and distance of wing net was 17.3 m. The selection curve for silver croaker was estimated by a logit model. The analysis was applied with the confidence interval to reduce uncertainty of the estimation. The l50 was 13.87 cm and its selection range was 2.71 cm. P-value was estimated at 0.99. The mesh size for silver croaker in towed gears needs to be adjusted by considering its minimum maturity length, stakeholder’s interests and fisheries regulations.

The improvement of resistance performance for the 4.99 ton class fishing boats was shown. The 4.99 ton fishing boats are the most commonly used one in the Korean coastal region. The evaluation of resistance performance was estimated by the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The CFD simulation was performed by the validation for various types of bow shapes on the hull. The optimized hull form from the simulation was selected and showed the best resistance performance. This hull type was tested on the towing tank in the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS). The effective horsepower (EHP) was estimated by the resistance test on the towing tank with the bare hull condition. The drag force on the three service speed conditions was obtained for the resistance analysis to power prediction. The measured drag forces are compared with the results from the CFD simulation with one another. As results of the model tests, it was confirmed that the shape of the bow is an important factor in the resistance performance. The effective horsepower decreased about 30% in comparison with the conventional hull form. Also, the resistance performance improved the reduction of required horsepower, which especially contributed to the energy-saving for the fisheries industry. In the CFD analysis, the resistance performance improved slightly. In this case, the ratio of the residual resistance (CR) in the total resistance (CT) was high. Therefore, the CFD analysis was not enough to satisfy with reflection for the free surface and wave form in the CFD procedure. Both model test and CFD calculation in this study can be applied to the initial design process for the coastal fishing vessel.

Comparative fishing experiments were conducted in the eastern coastal waters near Uljin, Korea from 2002 to 2004, using the experimental trammel nets to estimate the selectivity for spinyhead sculpin Dasycottus setiger. The inner panels of the nets were made of nylon monofilament with four mesh sizes (82.2, 89.4, 104.8, and 120.2 mm) while its two outer panels were made of twisted nylon multifilament with a mesh size of 510 mm. The SELECT (Share Each Length’s Catch Total) procedure with maximum likelihood method was applied to obtain a master selection curve. The different functional models (normal, lognormal, bi-normal, and logistic model) were fitted to the catch data. The lognormal model with the fixed relative fishing intensity was chosen as the best-fitted selection curve through comparison of model deviance and AIC (Akaike’s Information Criterion). The optimum relative length (the ratio of fish total length to mesh size) with the maximum relative efficiency was obtained as 2.492.

Fishing pots are one of the important fishing gears in our coastal and offshore fisheries. In terms of a sustainable use of marine resources, there are concerns about the ghost fishing by lost pots. It is reported that 10 to 70% of the pots are abandoned or lost annually. This study is to compare the catching efficiency of drum type whelk pots that are made of biodegradable nets to those made of the ordinary nets, in the eastern coast of Korea. Five types of drum pots were used with combination of biodegradable nets and ordinary (PA, PE) nets applied to the main and funnel parts of the pots: pots with biodegradable nets (Bio+Bio); pots with PE net (PE+PE); pots with body and funnel made of biodegradable nets and PE nets respectively (Bio+PE); pots with body and funnel made of PE nets and PA nets respectively (PE+PA); pots with body and funnel made of PE nets and biodegradable net respectively (PE+Bio). Field experiments were conducted from June 18th, 2015 to August 7th, 2015 using a commercial fishing vessel in the Uljin waters on the eastern coast of Korea. Two fleets of pots with one hundred in each, 20 pots of each type, were casted for 8 to 15 days to analyze their catching efficiency. The catch of target species, whelks, was 202,563.0 g with catch rate of 38.7% of the total catch, while the bycatch was 320,709.7 g with the rate of 61.3% of the total catch. The catch of whelks was the highest in the Bio+PE pots (46,020.3 g), followed by the Bio+Bio pots (42,027.5 g), the PE+Bio pots (41,849.9 g) and the lowest being PE+PE pots (38,054.2 g). Compared to the conventional pots, the pots with biodegradable nets on the body or entrance part had slightly higher catch rate for both the target species and the bycatch. The PE+PE had the lowest catch rate. There is no significant difference in catch between the pots with biodegradable nets and the ordinary nets for the target species such as Buccinum opisthoplectum, Neptunea eulimata, Buccinum striatissimum. Consequently, using biodegradable nets for the conventional whelk pots can reduce ghost fishing by lost gears while keeping the performance of the pots.

Spinyhead sculpin Dasycottus setiger, a species of cold water fish, is distributed along the eastern coastal waters of Korea. A series of fishing experiments was carried out in the waters near Uljin from June, 2002 to November, 2004, using the experimental monofilament gill nets of different mesh sizes (82.2, 89.4, 104.8, and 120.2 ㎜) to describe the selectivity of the gill net for the fish. The SELECT (Share Each Length’s Catch Total) analysis with maximum likelihood method was applied to fit the different functional models (normal, lognormal, and bi-normal models) for selection curves to the catch data. The bi-normal model with the fixed relative fishing intensity was selected as the best-fit selection curve by AIC (Akaike’s Information Criterion) comparison. For the best-fit selection curve, the optimum relative length (the ratio of fish total length to mesh size) with the maximum efficiency and the selection range (R50%,large - R50%, small) of 50% retention were obtained as 2.363 and 0.851, respectively. The ratios of body girth to mesh perimeter at 100% retention where the selection curve of each mesh size represented the optimum total length were calculated as the range of 0.86 ~ 0.87.

The species composition and distribution of catches by dredge gear in the Yeongil Bay, Korea were investigated on aseasonal basis from February to November, 2015. Total catches consisted of 44 species and 35 families. They were 13 species of fish, 10 species of crustacea, 5 species of echinodermata, 5 species of gastropoda, 4 species of cephalopoda and 3 species of bivalvia. Major catch species was shellfish and had seasonal variations in catch. In spring and winter, the catch of ark shell (Scapharca broughtonii) was increased. Adversely, the catch of admas venus clam (Callithaca adamsi) increased in sunmmer and autumn. Species diversity indices was high as the value of 1.99 in spring, and low to the value of 0.34 in summer. In addition, multi dimentional scaling (MDS) indices also was high in spring as the value of 1.99. In summer, the index was low as the value of 0.34. Similarity analysis based on species data was transformed by fourth root. With the result of cluster analysis and MDS analysis, species was divided into two groups. The first group as Group A consists of winter and spring species and another was Group B made of species in summer and winter.

Species composition and bycatch rate of the catches by dredge with bycatch reduction device to reduce bycatch were estimated around Yeongil Bay, Korea at June, 2015. Total catches were collected 31 species as Chordata 10 species, mollusca 8 species, arthropoda 6 species, echinodermata 5 species, sipunculida 1 species, annelida 1 species during the experiment at the Yeongil Bay. The dominant species were Scapharca broughtonii, Callithaca adamsi, and Atrina pectinata and they reached 79.9% of the total catch. The catch rate of Scapharca broughtonii and Callithaca adamsi was 69.6% and 10.4% respectively. The rate of bycatch was 20.1%, consisted with Echinodemata 13.0%, Chordata 3.6%. The catch of ordinary dredge was 27 species 1,307 number 85,052g and that of dredge with escapement device was 21 species 1,690 number 91,648g. In conclusion, the dredge gear with bycatch reduction device has higher catch rate of target species and lower bycatch rate to non–target species than ordinary one.

Morotoge shrimp Pandalopsis japonica is caught by pot and others in the eastern coastal waters of Korea. Comparative fishing experiments were carried out in the eastern coast of Korea, using the dome–shaped pots with different five mesh sizes (17.1, 24.8, 35.3, 39.8, and 48.3 mm) in order to estimate the mesh selectivity of the pot for the morotoge shrimp, Pandalopsis japonica. The SELECT (Share Each Length’s Catch Total) analysis method was applied to the catch data. The master selection curve of the pot for the shrimp was estimated to be s(R) = exp(15.770R–10.573)/[1+exp(15.770R–10.753)], where R is the ratio of carapace length to mesh size. From the selection curves, the carapace lengths of 50% retention were 11.6, 17.0, 23.9, and 34.1 mm for 17, 25, 35, and 50 mm mesh–size pot, respectively. It means that the pots of larger mesh size allow more shrimp of small size to escape.

Starfish, a species of Echinoderm, is widely known as a predator on benthic invertebrate. A series of fishing experiments was carried out in the western coastal waters of Korea from September, 2011 to November, 2012, using the drum–shaped pots of different mesh sizes (17.1, 24.8, 35.3, 39.8, and 48.3 ㎜) to describe the composition of the catch species and the mesh selectivity of the pot for starfish. Some species including fish, crab, and starfish were caught in the experimental pots. The SELECT (Share Each Length’s Catch Total) method was applied to describe the selectivity of the pot for starfish Asterina pectinifera. The master selection curve was estimated to be s(R) = exp(10.358R–4.086) / [1+exp(10.358R–4.086)], where R is the ratio of arm length to mesh size. The relative arm length of 50% retention was 0.395, and the selection range was 0.212. The results should be helpful to understand the relationship between the catch size of starfish and the mesh size of pot.