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.

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.

In order to obtain the fundamental data about the behavior of conger by underwater audible sound, this experiment was carried out to investigate the hearing ability of Conger eel Conger myriaster which was in the coast of Jeju Island by heartbeat conditioning method using pure tones coupled with a delayed electric shock. The audible range of conger eel extended from 50Hz to 300Hz with a peak sensitivity at 80Hz including less sensitivity over 200Hz. The mean auditory thresholds of conger eel at the frequencies of 50Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 200Hz and 300Hz were 105dB, 92dB, 96dB, 128dB and 140dB, respectively. The positive response of conger eel was not evident after the sound projection of over 200Hz. At the results, the sensitive frequency range of conger eel is narrow in spite of swim bladder. Auditory masking was determined for Conger eel by using masking stimuli with the spectrum level range of about 60~70dB (0dB re 1μPa/Hz). According to white noise level, the auditory thresholds increased as compared with thresholds in a quiet background noise including critical ratio at 68dB of white noise from minimum 26dB to maximum 30dB at test frequencies of 80Hz and 100Hz. The noise spectrum level at the start of masking was distributed at the range of about 68dB within 80~100Hz.

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.

Present study was conducted to improve the spring frame net trap for conger eel, Conger myriaster which prevents by-catch and protects immature fish. A series of comparative fishing experiment was carried out in water off the south-east coast of Korea from Nov. 2004 to Jul. 2005. And analyzed the amount of catch, by-catch rate, and CPUE, etc. of experimental traps which were the spring frame net traps, sorted four types of flappers. And the compared gear was a plastic conger eel pot. The conclusions were as follows. By-catch rates of spring frame net trap with the compressed flapper bound by nylon mono-filament was about 0-3%. CPUE of spring frame net trap with the compressed flapper was about 50-60% lower than that of traditional and plastic pot. And in case of conger eel that the total length is over 350mm, CPUE was little different on each type of flapper of every mesh size.

붕장어 통발 어업에 있어서 침지 시간과 어획과의 관계를 조사하기 위하여, 연안 통발 조업선을 이용하여 2002년 3월 15일부터 2002년 4윌 7일 사이에 실시한 시험 조업의 결과를 요약하면 다음과같다. 1. 침지 시간 3시간, 6시간 그리고 12시간에서 평균 어획은 각각 44.6마리/60개, 60.0마리/60개 및 81.3마리/60개였고, CPUE(catch number 10pots·hour)는 3시간, 6시간 그리고 12시간의 침지 시간에서 각각 2.5마리, 1.7마리 및 1.1마리로 나타났다. 2. 침지 시간의 경과에 따른 잔존 미수의 변화는 24시간과 48시간 사이에서 11.3%, 48시간과 72시간 사이에서 3.3% 로 침지 시간이 증가함에 따라 잔존 미수의 변화를은 감소했다. 3. 12시간까지의 침지 시간에서 혼획률은 매우 낮았다(1.5-3%). 그러나 24시간 이상의 긴 침지 시간에서는 침지 시간이 경과함에 따라 혼획도 증가되는 것으로 나타났다. 붕장어에 대한 미끼의 유인 효과는 통발의 설치 후부터 곧바로 감소하는 것으로 추정되며, 미끼의 상태에 따라 어획량의 차이가 큰 것으로 나타났다.

Ghost fishing으로 추정되는 유실된 플라스틱 붕장어 통발에 어획된 붕장어의 섭이 상태와 개체의 성장에 대해 조사하기 위하여, 통발 조업선에 어획된 붕장어와 트롤 그물에 어획된 붕장어를 이용하여 비교 분석하였다. 어획된 붕장어의 평균 전장은 연안 통발 조업선과 시험 조업에서 어획된 것이 33.6cm, 트롤 그물에 어획된 것이 48.9cm 그리고 수거된 유실 통발에 어획된 것이 45.6cm이었다. 이러한 체장의 분포는 붕장어가 성장하면서 연안에서 외양으로 나간다는 사실과 일치한다. 위내용물 조사에서 먹이를 섭이하지 못해 위내용물이 전혀 없었던 붕장어의 비율은 통발 조업선 5.0%, 트롤 4.2% 그리고 유실 통발 87.6%로 유실 통발에서 17～20배 높게 나타났다. 먹이로써 어류를 섭이한 붕장어의 비율은 통발 조업선이 98.7%, 트롤이 78.8% 그리고 유실 통발이 63.3%로 나타났으며, 그 외의 먹이 생물은 갑각류와 두족류 등이었다. 순체중과 전장을 이용하여 계산한 비만도는 트롤 어획물이 1.514이고, 유실 통발 어획물이 1.292로서 약 15%의 차이가 있었으며, 이들 자료에 대한 공 분산분석에서 실시한 t검정 결과 5% 유의수준에서 위치의 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다.