In the last five decades, there has been a consistent decline in the total catch of fisheries in the Korean jurisdiction since the peak in 1986. The decline in catch slowed and slightly rebounded in the 2000s, but changed back to a decline in the 2010s. As indicators that can identify changes in the marine ecosystem, trophic level (TL), biodiversity index (H'), and the ratio between pelagic fish and demersal fish (P/D) were analyzed by each local marine ecosystem. There were some different changes in each local marine ecosystem, but the mean TL and H' decreased and P/D increased in general in Korean waters. Demersal fish, which were dominant in the 1970s and 1980s, declined, and small pelagic fish and cephalopods have dominantly changed since the 1990s. However, these changes are not simple, and they are fluctuating in complex ways relating to each marine ecosystem and the timing. It is believed that changes in marine ecosystems in Korean waters are likely caused by a combination of fisheries and climate change. The ecosystem indicators reflected a change in the total catch, a sharp drop in catch of demersal fish, and increasing catch of pelagic fish since the mid-1980s.

Giant pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, is a large mollusk distributed in the East Sea of Korea. In this study, the catch status of giant pacific octopus by drift line fishery and the effect of sea temperature on fishing ground were investigated in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, which is the central coast of the East Sea. The average catch of giant pacific octopus in Gangwon-do was 1,570 tons over the past ten years, and it accounted for 21% in 2008 and 44% in 2021 compared to the total catch in the East Sea during the same period. Such data indicates that the catch in Gangwon-do has recently increased. In this study area, giant pacific octopus weighing 1.1-5.0 kg dominated accounting for 56% of the total individuals, and followed by those weighing 1 kg or less. However, the ratio of catch of giant pacific octopus over 5.1 kg tended to increase in 2021, which is thought to be related to the sea temperature that affected the fishing ground. The main depth of fishing ground was from 21 m to 50 m in this area and fishing grounds were widely distributed throughout the season except summer. Fishing ground was formed with the conditions of bottom sea temperature under 10℃ and was diminished by moving of giant pacific octopus to deeper depth with conditions of bottom sea temperature over 18℃.

The Pacific giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is one of the most important species in the East Sea fishery of Korea. The annual production of Pacific giant octopus in 2021 was 3,880 metric ton between Gangwon province and Gyeongsangbuk province. Most of the fishing gears for the octopus fishery were based on behavioral properties such as thigmotaxis and chemotaxis. Wooden octopus box is also one of the fishing gears, which is application of thigmotaxis for the octopus capture in fishing industry. In this study, the tank experiments were designed to examine the behaviour and the effect of surface roughness to the infiltration of the octopus quantitatively. Three different types of octopus boxes were used for the experiments with different surface roughness on the average of 701.6 ㎛, 141.7 ㎛ and 2.09 ㎛ for each gear. 22 trials were conducted from June to September 2021. The normality of the experiments was tested using Shapiro-Wilk normality test (p-value < 0.05). The significance of results was conducted by Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test (Chi-squarded = 21, Degree of freedom = 3, p-value < 0.05). The use of wooden octopus box with rough surface was found to enhance the catch efficiency and observe infiltration behaviour of the octopus frequently.

In this study, internationally widely utilized bioeconomic models were used to make a comparison and analyze the effectiveness of red snow crab fisheries management measures. As a specific effect analysis, biological and economic effects of both total allowable catch (TAC) and effort reduction management measures were analyzed simultaneously. Model results showed that the red snow crab biomass would be decreased from 106,000 tons to 73,076 tons after ten years when the TAC is set to and maintained at the current level of 26,000 tons. The amount of biomass would be increased to 125,316 tons when the level of TAC is set to 22,000 tons. In cases of reduced fishing efforts, a 30% decrease from the current level would result in greater biomass and NPV would be also estimated at the highest level. In addition, a sensitivity analysis by market price was conducted to analyze the minimum TAC level of the red snow crab offshore pot fishery. Results showed that the minimum TAC level would be 8,210 tons when the market price increased by 30% and it would be also 15,247 tons when the market price decreased by 30%. Furthermore, results of the sensitivity analysis by fishing cost showed that the minimum TAC level was analyzed to be 13,857 tons when the fishing cost increased by 30% from the current level.

The change of fishing power index was analyzed to identify the development of the vessel and gear technology that may improve the fishing efficiency of the offshore conger eel pot fishery from 1980s to 2015. Gross tonnage per fishing vessel was rapidly increased annually. The standard of pot was maintained, but the number of pot used rapidly increased by using conger eel pot hauling devices, carrying and loading devices, main line hauler, casting devices and slide type pot. Fish finder system to identify fishing ground information and the conger eel pot hauling devices were modernized, and supply rate was also increased. Therefore, the relative fishing power index in the offshore conger eel pot fishery increased from 1.0 in 1980 to 1.3 in 1990, to 1.8 in 2000 and to 2.0 in 2015. The results are expected to contribute to reasonable fisheries stock management of the offshore conger eel pot fishery.

Thousands of pelagic and demersal fishes inhabit the waters around Korea and many of them are overexploited. One of the reasons is technological development, which increases the efficiency of the vessels continuously. The analysis was conducted to identify the change of fishing power index to develop the vessel and gear technology that may have improved the fishing efficiency of the otter trawl fishery from 1960s to 2010s. Gross tonnage was decreased stably, but horse power was increased annually. The perimeter of net mouth was somewhat longer, but little changed. Color fish finder was utilized from the mid-1960s. Hydraulic net drum were introduced in the early 1990s, and supply rate was gradually increased. Surveys on the supply and upgrading of fishing equipment utilized visiting research. Therefore, the relative fishing power index in the trawl fishery increased about two to three times in the 2010s compared to the 1980s. The results are expected to contribute to reasonable fisheries stock management.

The small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) is one of the representative high-class fish species in Korea. The catch of small yellow croaker in adjacent water fisheries has been continuously decreasing from 59,226 tons in 2011 to 19,271 tons in 2016. The small yellow croaker is caught by gillnet, stow net and bottom trawl, among which about 55~65% is caught by gillnet. For the sustainable use of small yellow croaker, the fishing power of small yellow croaker drift gillnet is very important. Therefore, the change of fishing power index were analyzed to identify the development of the vessel and gear technology that may have improved the fishing efficiency of the small yellow croaker drift gillnet fishery from 1960s to 2010s. Gross tonnage and horse power per fishing vessel was increased annually. The mesh size was 75.0 mm in the 1960s, but reduced to 60.6 mm in the 1980s and to 51.0 mm in the 2000s. In the 1960s, it was hauled out by manpower. However, the net hauler were modernized and supply rate was also increased since 1970. Due to the mechanization of the net hauler, the number (length) of used net gradually increased from 1.5 km in the 1960s to 7.5 km in the mid-1980s and to 15 km in 2010. Colour fish finders and positioning system were introduced and utilized from the mid-1980s. Surveys on the supply and upgrading of fishing equipment utilized visiting research. Therefore, the relative fishing power index in the small yellow croaker drift gillnet fishery increased from 1.0 in 1980 to 0.8 in 1970, to 1.1 in 1990, to 1.6 in 2000 and to 1.9 in 2010. The results are expected to contribute to reasonable fisheries stock management of the small yellow croaker drift gillnet fishery.

This study is aimed to take a stock assessment of blackthroat seaperch Doederleinia seaperch regarding the fishing effort of large-powered Danish Seine Fishery and Southwest Sea Danish Seine Fishery. For the assessment, the state-space model was implemented and the standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) of large powered Danish Seine Fishery and Southwest Sea Danish Seine Fishery which is necessary for the model was estimated with generalized linear model (GLM). The model was adequate for stock assessment because its r-square value was 0.99 and root mean square error (RMSE) value was 0.003. According to the model with 95% confidence interval, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of Blackthroat seaperch is from 2,634 to 6,765 ton and carrying capacity (K) is between 33,180 and 62,820. Also, the catchability coefficient (q) is between 2.14E-06 and 3.95E-06 and intrinsic growth rate (r) is between 0.31 and 0.72.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) selected fishing as the most dangerous group of jobs in the world, and it is well known in Korea as a 4D industry. Offshore large purse seine accounts for the largest portion of the fishing industry in the coastal region with high death rate and the accident rate. The repeated disaster rate survey by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) shows offshore large purse seiner is the highest at 22.3 percent and coastal gill nets and offshore stow net are following at 12.4 percent and 11.9 percent in order. Therefore, risk factors occurring in offshore large purse seiners were analyzed based on data from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC) for three years from 2015 to 2017 and 4M (Man, Machine, Media, Management) 3E (Engineering, Education, Enforcement) techniques were used to provide a safe fishing environment. The number of accidents on offshore large purse seiners each year was more than 150, and the number of accidents on every fishing boats was as high as 17 percent in 2015. If the accident rate and the risk level were divided by insurance, the accident resulting from contact with machinery was the highest, and the risk of a contact with gear was low but frequently occurring. This was caused by collisions and contact with gear in situations where death and disappearance risk are not high, and accident types in situations where death and loss risk are considered to be contact with machinery, falls or other accidents. Through these analysis techniques, the frequency and risk of each type of accident on a offshore large purse seiners can be demonstrated, and it is expected to raise awareness of a safer fishing environment and contribute to the reduction of accidents.

Squid is one of the important fisheries resources in Korea. Therefore, squid has been designated and managed as a target species of total allowable catch (TAC) since 2007, but the catch amount is gradually decreasing. The analysis was conducted to identify the change of relative fishing power index to develop the vessel and gear technology that may have improved the fishing efficiency of the offshore squid jigging fishery from 1960s to 2010s. Gross tonnage per fishing vessel increased with the increase in size until 1990, but then gradually decreased to 41.0 tons in 2000 and 37.1 tons in 2010. The illuminating power (energy consumption) by fishing lamps increased to 180 kW in 2005 and stabilized to 120 kW in 2015. Jigging machine started to be supplied to fishing vessels from the early 1970s, and fish finders began to be supplied in the early 1980s and gradually increased. Therefore, the relative fishing power index in the offshore squid jigging fishery increased from 1.0 in 1980 to 1.1 in 1990, to 3.5 in 2000 and to 2.5 in 2010, but the increment rate slowed down gradually. The results are expected to contribute to reasonable fisheries stock management.

Overfishing capacity has become a global issue due to over-exploitation of fisheries resources, which result from excessive fishing intensity since the 1980s. In the case of Korea, the fishing effort has been quantified and used as an quantified index of fishing intensity. Fisheries resources of coastal fisheries in the Korean waters of the East Sea tend to decrease productivity due to deterioration in the quality of ecosystem, which result from the excessive overfishing activities according to the development of fishing gear and engine performance of vessels. In order to manage sustainable and reasonable fisheries resources, it is important to understand the fluctuation of biomass and predict the future biomass. Therefore, in this study, we forecasted biomass in the Korean waters of the East Sea for the next two decades (2017~2036) according to the changes in fishing intensity using four fishing effort scenarios;  ,  , 0.5× and 1.5× . For forecasting biomass in the Korean waters of the East Sea, parameters such as exploitable carrying capacity (ECC), intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) and catchability (q) estimated by maximum entropy (ME) model was utilized and logistic function was used. In addition, coefficient of variation (CV) by the Jackknife re-sampling method was used for estimation of coefficient of variation about exploitable carrying capacity (CVECC). As a result, future biomass can be fluctuated below the BPY level when the current level of fishing effort in 2016 maintains. The results of this study are expected to be utilized as useful data to suggest direction of establishment of fisheries resources management plan for sustainable use of fisheries resources in the future.

Due to the decrease in coastal productivity and deterioration in the quality of ecosystem which result from the excessive overfishing of fisheries resources and the environmental pollution, fisheries resources in the Korean waters hit the dangerous level in respect of quantity and quality. In order to manage sustainable and effective fisheries resources, it is necessary to suggest the potential yield (PY) for clarifying available fisheries resources in the Korean waters. So far, however, there have been few studies on the estimation methods for PY in Korea. In addition, there have been no studies on the comparative analysis of the estimation methods and the substantial estimation methods for PY targeted for large marine ecosystem (LME) For the reasonable management of fisheries resources, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study on the estimation methods for the PY which combines population dynamics and ecosystem dynamics. To reflect the research need, this study conducts a comparative analysis of estimation methods for the PY in the Korean waters of the East Sea to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and suggests the estimation method which considered both population dynamics and ecosystem dynamics to supplement shortcomings of each method. In this study, the maximum entropy (ME) model of the holistic production method (HPM) is considered to be the most reasonable estimation method due to the high reliability of the estimated parameters. The results of this study are expected to be used as significant basic data to provide indicators and reference points for sustainable and reasonable management of fisheries resources.

The purpose of this study is to estimate potential yield (PY) for Korean west coast fisheries using the holistic production method (HPM). HPM involves the use of surplus production models to apply input data of catch and standardized fishing efforts. HPM compared the estimated parameters of the surplus production from four different models: the Fox model, CYP model, ASPIC model, and maximum entropy model. The PY estimates ranged from 174,232 metric tons (mt) using the CYP model to 238,088 mt using the maximum entropy model. The highest coefficient of determination (R2), the lowest root mean square error (RMSE), and the lowest Theil’s U statistic (U) for Korean west coast fisheries were obtained from the maximum entropy model. The maximum entropy model showed relatively better fits of data, indicating that the maximum entropy model is statistically more stable and accurate than other models. The estimate from the maximum entropy model is regarded as a more reasonable estimate of PY. The quality of input data should be improved for the future study of PY to obtain more reliable estimates.

For scientific research, a number of acoustic surveys using commercial echosounders equipped in fishing vessels were conducted throughout the world; however, few studies were performed in South Korea. Hence, this research is an preliminary study for presenting the application of a sounder from a fishing vessel. The fishing operations using a pair trawler (7 Cheonghae) was conducted in the Northwest-Western sea of Jeju Island from 20 to 23 April, 2016. Substantial impulse noises and attenuated signals were eliminated by the latest algorithms. Acoustic signals were grouped into the fish aggregations and long layer-like signals. The fish aggregations appeared between 30 and 60 m, and long layer-like signals showed the diurnal vertical migration. Energetic, morphological and positional properties of the fish aggregations and layer-like signals were described. The fish aggregations appeared mainly between sunrise and sunset; however layer-like signals tended to be presented regardless of time in consideration of the time series analysis. On the basis of the consignment sales, Scomberomorus niphonius, the target species of F/V 7 Cheonghae, was the highest catch with 4,280 kg (74.6%) and might have appeared in fish aggregations and layer forms.