This study was conducted to analyze fishing capacity and bycatch by mesh size and entrance size of spring net pot conductedby water tank and field experiment. The water tank experiments were conducted by using traps with mesh size of 22 mm and entrance size of 120 mm and 140 mm, respectively in the water tank of NIFS. The field experiment was conducted using 5 kinds of spring net pot with mesh sizes of 20 mm, 22 mm, 35 mm and entrance size of 120 mm, 130 mm, 140 mm, 360 mm by coastal trap fishery vessel operating around the area of Geoje island. In the result of water tank experiments, the catch of conger eel was 1.5 times higher when using trap with entrance size of 140 mm than that of 120 mm. In the field experiment, when using same mesh size, the larger the entrance size, the higher amount of conger eel catch, bycatch and number of bycatch species. When using the same entrance size, the larger the mesh size, the lower amount of conger eel catch and number of bycatch species, whereas the amount of bycatch showed increasing trend.

Test fishing was carried out using six kinds of different mesh sizes (20, 22, 24, 28, 35, 40mm) for springnet-pot to study bycatches according to the mesh size and catches survey was done for another one (mesh size : 22mm, entrance round : 350mm) in Geo-je & Tong-young waters of Korea. On the first sea experiment, it was thought that suitable mesh size of spring-net-pot catching conger-eel over 35cm with decreasing the catches of conger-eel (Conger myriaster) below 35cm was 24mm. On the second sea experiment, commercial catches were crabs (Charybdis bimaculata), octopus minor (Octopus variabilis) and others including conger-eel, and catches proportion was 60% of total catches weights. There was no big difference for the monthly catches. Self-consumption catches were 9 species including conger-eel below 35cm holding 50% of catches in the side of weights. There were 40% of bycatches for the catches weights and 63% for catches numbers in the 22mm mesh size of spring-net-pot having entrance round over 140mm. It showed that 50% of catches weights were discarded.

Recently, Fishermen have required to expand the circumference of trap entrance for conger eel because it was difficult to take the catch out as well as to put the baits into. A series of fishing experiments was carried out in coastal areas of Tongyoung, Korea in 2008 and 2009 using the traps to describe the effect of the entrance size on the catch. The experimental traps (five types) were used in filed experiments with four types circumference size traps (140, 180, 220 and 260mm) with mesh size 22mm and another type was used the same one usually using in filed with mesh size 35mm (750mm circumference). The experiment results were, the conger eels of total length 35mm more or so were caught 85, 93, 142 and 176 individual by the experiment traps with mesh size 22mm as increase circumference size from 140mm to 260mm, respectively. And the small conger eels of the total length below 35mm to be prohibited to catch by law were caught 145, 160, 288 and 304 individual according to increase the circumference size of trap, respectively. In addition, in case of the trap with mesh size 22mm, bycatches were 230 - 260 individuals and much more than bycatches of the trap with mesh size 35mm. In conclusion, when we expand the circumference size of trap according to fishermen's requirement, we should review not only economic of fishery but also increasement the bycatch of non-target fishes and small size fishes.