For people who have a food allergy the only way to manage the allergy is to avoid the food allergen. The mackerel is one of the major food allergens, but no immunoassay for the rapid and simple detection of mackerel has been reported. The objectives of this study are to develop and characterize monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to mackerel using thermal stable-soluble proteins (TSSP) as an immunogen and to characterize the MAbs by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The mice immunized with mackerel TSSP and showing high titer were used for cell fusion and cloning. The characterization of MAbs produced from hybridoma cells obtained was confirmed by indirect ELISA and western blot. Four MAbs were confirmed to be specific to mackerel without crossreaction to other marine products and livestock products in the both methods. The iELISA and western blot based on the MAbs can sensitively detect 1% mackerel protein in other marine products. These results support that immunochemical methods based on the MAb produced could be used as rapid means to detect low levels of mackerel and to identify mackerel adulterated in food.

It is essential to provide good environment for juvenile fish to grow and spawn in order to keep reproduction mechanism of fisheries resources. However, harvesting juvenile fish deprives adult fish of the opportunity to reproduce, thereby changing self-regulating renewable resources into non-renewable ones and preventing sustainable harvesting as well as reducing fishers’ income. We reviewed the catch status of Korea on juvenile mackerel and analyzed how reducing the catch ratio of juvenile mackerel may affect the spawning stock and Korean fishermen's revenue. In addition, we analyzed the problem of caching juvenile mackerel in Korean fisheries and current efforts to protect and reduce the catch ratio of juvenile mackerel in Korea. Furthermore, we suggested future efforts to protect juvenile mackerel. The result of the study showed that reducing the catch ratio of juvenile mackerel from 44.4% to 30.0% would increase fishers’ revenue by 60.6 billion KRW. We suggest the changing of purse seine fishery’s catching methods from night operation to day operation, relocation of fishing vessels to move to other fishing grounds when fishing vessels meet high density of juvenile mackerel, and consumers’ clever choice of consuming adult mackerel in order to accelerate the move toward protecting juvenile mackerel in Korea.

In this study, the use of corona discharge plasma jet (CDPJ) for the improvement of hygienic quality of semi-dried mackerel pike (Gwamegi) was investigated. Different microbial contaminants, namely aerobic and marine bacteria, coliform bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and yeasts and mold, were detected in the range 4.2-6.2 log CFU/g in Gwamegi samples. The CDPJ generated using 20 kV DC and at 58 kHz frequency was used for the treatment of Gwamegi for 0-10 min. The bacterial contaminants were inactivated in the range of 1.9-3.3 log CFU/g on the treatment for 10 min. Additionally, yeasts and mold were inactivated by 3.2 log CFU/g. The inactivation pattern fitted well to the first-order kinetics model. The CDPJ treatment for 10 min did not exert statistically significant changes (P > 0.05) in pH, moisture content, water activity, peroxide value, acid value and volatile basic nitrogen content of Gwamegi in comparison to untreated control samples. On the contrary, significant changes (P < 0.05) were noted in color and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels upon the CDPJ treatment. However, the CDPJ-treated Gwamegi samples displayed better sensory properties in terms of appearance, visual color, and flavor as compared to controls.

This study analyzed annual catch trend during 45 years and monthly catch of the least 10 years (2005∼2014) for chub mackerel caught in the Korean coastal waters. To determine fishing status of chub mackerel, fork length measurements were conducted at least twice every week for 100 individuals randomly selected at the Busan Cooperative Fish Market from January of 2012 to December of 2014; and biological characteristics and proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, ash) were analyzed by length class (I∼IV) on a monthly basis from January to December of 2014. Monthly catch trend showed low level below 5,000 mt from February to July, whereas high level above 15,000 mt from October to December. For the period between 2012 and 2014, annual average catch proportion of juvenile were relatively high at 68.1%, 53.1% and 53.2% from January to April, before spawning season, while those were low at 21.5%, 20.7% and 29.12% from June to November. As for the change in the proximate composition per 100 g of muscle, protein and ash did not change much by seasons and length class, whereas fat and moisture contents showed large fluctuations and complementary relationship between the two factors. Regardless of length class, monthly average fat content, containing Omega-3, showed the lowest at 7.18 g in April and highest at 19.27 g in December, which exhibited 2.6 times difference from one another. Regardless of fishing seasons, fat content by length class were 19.06 g for the class I and 6.43 g for the class IV, which showed three times difference. Fat contents of the class I were high at 26.97 g and 27.19 g in November and December, while low at 8.37 g and 9.99 g in April and May. Especially, fat contents from January to May were 5.0 g, which was the lowest. Therefore, it is expected that consumer could indirectly contribute fisheries management through their understanding and wise consumption based on fishing status and fluctuation of proximate composition.

The distribution of eggs and larvae of mackerel, Scomber japonicus was examined in the coast of Jeju island, Korea in spring from April to May in 2013 and May to June in 2014. In the monthly variations of mean abundances, as a whole, mackerel eggs were observed abundantly in April, 2013, and mackerel larvae were observed abundantly in June, 2014. Especially, high densities over 5,000 ind./1,000 m3 of mean eggs abundances were observed in the eastern part of Jeju Island where is water temperature was over 18℃. It can be inferred that these areas were major spawning grounds of mackerel around Jeju island, and that it may be caused by influences of the Tsushima warm current.

This study presents a comparative analysis on mackerel distribution process and price formation process, and investigation of price and margin between traditional markets and Large-scale discount store distribution channel. Through this, the study investigated distribution efficiency of each channel, and examined whether a difference of distribution efficiency leads to a difference of performance through the investigation of a difference of function and role between members of a wholesale market and vendor of Large scale discount store. The following are the results of this study. As a consequence of investigating supply and sum by distribution channel of mackerel, it appeared that mackerels shipped from port market are distributed into 9 consumption sites(Wholesale market, Large scale discount store, Institutional Food Service, etc.). In the comparison of distribution efficiency between traditional retail store and Large scale discount store 52.0% margin is formed in traditional retail store distribution channel and 43.1% margin is formed in Large scale discount store, and a distribution cost rate consists of 19.4% cost in a traditional retail store for fishery products and 18.1% cost in a Large-scale discount store. To analyze a difference of performance, the study examine a difference of role and function between vendor and Wholesale market company, wholesaler and middleman.

This study was focused on acoustic scattering characteristics of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) at frequency 38, 70, and 120 kHz by Kirchhoff-ray mode (KRM) model. The body length (BL) of 16 individuals ranged in 12.2~22.0 cm (mean±S.D.: 17.8±3.2 cm) and the swimbladder length ranged in 4.2~8.6 cm (mean±S.D.: 6.6±1.6 cm) and the swimbladder cross section ranged in 1.7~6.6 cm2 (mean±S.D.: 3.8±1.6 cm2). This result shows that results correlate well between the BL and the length and cross section of swimbladder. The swimbladder angle ranged in 7~12°and the maximum TS values ranged in –16~–5°at tilt angle. The averaged TS-to-BL relationship were TS38kHz=20log10BL-65.33 (R2=0.66), TS70kHz=20log10BL-65.90 (R2=0.67), and TS120kHz=20log10BL-66.65 (R2=0.65). These results can be used fundamental data in order to estimate distribution and biomass of jack mackerel by using hydro-acoustic method.

This study was conducted to investigate the attractant substances of different solvent fractions of mackerel and tuna viscera. Mackerel and tuna viscera were extracted with methanol and the resultant were fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water. The chemical compounds such as free amino acid, fatty acid, nucleotide related compounds contents were estimated for mackerel, tuna viscera and various fractions. These fractions were also subjected to attracting experiments in water tank to estimate attracting effects. The aqueous fractions of mackerel and tuna viscera showed the highest attraction effect on swimming crab. The major chemical compounds of the aqueous fractions were histidine, taurine, cysteine, glutamic acid, inosine monophosphate (IMP) and inosine (HxR) for mackerel and arginine, glutamic acid, aspartic aid, alanine, IMP and hypoxanthin (Hx). Results indicated that higher polarity compounds, such as amino acid and nucleotide related compounds have higher attraction activities than nonpolar substances such as neutral lipid.

Using artificial neural network (ANN) technique, auction prices for common mackerel were forecasted with the daily total sale and auction price data at the Busan Cooperative Fish Market before introducing Total Allowable Catch (TAC) system, when catch data had no limit in Korea. Virtual input data produced from actual data were used to improve the accuracy of prediction and the suitable neural network was induced for the prediction. We tested 35 networks to be retained 10, and found good performance network with regression ratio of 0.904 and determination coefficient of 0.695. There were significant variations between training and verification errors in this network. Ideally, it should require more training cases to avoid over-learning, which leads to improve performance and makes the results more reliable. And the precision of prediction was improved when environmental factors including physical and biological variables were added. This network for prediction of price and catch was considered to be applicable for other fishes.

Species composition of fishes and the recruitment properties of jack mackerel, Trachurus japonicus, in the waters around the Geumo Islands in the mid-South Sea were investigated by using both sides fyke nets every month from February to December 2010. During study period, a total of 30,503 fishes (1,380.4 kg) were collected and classified into 2 classes, 16 orders, 61 families and 121 species. The dominant species was jack mackerel occupying 80.5% of total individuals and 44.4% of total biomass. The fork length range of jack mackerel was 5.5-26.8 cm and individuals about 6 cm was appeared only in the middle and southern area of the Geumo Islands in May. The new recruitment of jack mackerel appeared from May in the waters around the Geumo Islands is probably caused by the warm water intrusion associated with the development of stratification due to the extinction of seasonal coastal cold waters by the increase of solar radiation heat. Furthermore, the jack mackerels less than 6 cm recruiting in the mid-South Sea in spring were considered as mixed ones by individuals spawned in the East China Sea and in the waters around the Jeju Island considering the collected time, migration period and spawning time of them.

In order to offer data about fisheries resources management and prediction of catch on large purse seine fisheries, the fluctuation of the fisheries condition and distributions of fishing ground for mackerel were analysed with monthly catch data for 1990.2009. The overall catch has decreased to about 70% since 1997, with approximately 70% of the mackerel (Scomber japonicus) catch and monthly fluctuations showing a similar pattern. Monthly distribution of fishing ground is like distribution of mackerel in large purse seine fishery. The main fishing grounds are near Jeju Island and the Yellow sea with the main fishing season existing between October to December. The catches fluctuations and distribution of fishing ground were related to the effect of regime shifts. Therefore, in order to prediction of catch on large purse seine fisheries should be studied these relationships.

The relationships among long-term variation in catches of Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) and main food organism such as common mackerel (Scomber japonicus), anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), and oceanic condition in Korean waters were analyzed using 40 years of time-series data from 1971－2010. In the 1990s, oceanic conditions around the Korean peninsula shifted to a warmer regime with higher SST (sea surface temperature). The total catch of Spanish mackerel in Korean waters increased dramatically since the early 2000s, and main fishing ground form into South Sea in winter season from December to January. From the results of correlation analysis, we found a significant relationship between the Spanish mackerel catch and environmental factor such as SST, common mackerel and anchovy catch in Korean waters.

To investigate the catches of jack mackerel fishery, a series of fishing experiments was conducted in the high seas of the southeastern Pacific Ocean (30˚S-38˚S, 82˚W-95˚W) during the period of 9 August to 18 December, 2003 by commercial fishing vessel and research vessel. The number of 205 tows fishing was carried out in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The total catch was 1,988 ton and CPUE was 2.4 ton/hour. CPUE showed high values in the frontal zone during the survey. Main target species caught from the experimental fishing were the jack mackerel, Trachurus murphyi (98.1%) and chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus (1.9%) as bycatch. Body length of the jack mackerel was different between female and male. The high mean catch per unit effort of jack mackerel was showed when the fishing ground of jack mackerel fishery was over the 110˚W in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. But the fluctuation of the catch per unit effort in the western part of fishing ground was not matched with those year. Reliable physical and oceanographical information will be useful for the efficiency of fishing activity. According to the result of monthly movement of center of fishing ground, the fishing activity of jack mackerel fishery was performed northward in the southeastern Pacific Ocean as time passes.