Visual census and hydro-acoustic survey was carried out at Ulju small scale marine ranching area (MRA) to estimate demersal fish aggregations on September and November 2013. In this hydro-acoustic survey, the authors combined an image sonar with a scientific echo sounder to monitor an underwater situation and compare two acoustic data. Consequently, visual census survey was useful to estimate fish species composition for hydro-acoustic survey, because it is easy to identify aggregated fish species and overcome limits on a fishing depth and ability of an conventional fishing gear like a bottom gill-net or a fish trap at marine ranching area. Mean fish density was estimated as 0.757 g/m2 on September and 0.219 g/m2 on November and Fish abundance was finally calculated as 1.51ton (coefficient of variation, CV=13.1%) on September and 0.44ton (CV=47.7%) on November, respectively. Hydro-acoustic survey combined with the image sonar was useful to monitor fish aggregations and estimate fish stocks around artificial reefs at shallow coastal MRA. We were able to easily identify the underwater structures like an artificial reef and a fishing rope as well as fish aggregations from image sonar data. Therefore, the method was effective to separate unwanted echo signals in acoustic data of scientific echo sounder.

Hydro-acoustic surveys with scientific echo sounder were carried out to estimate the total density and distribution of the juvenile cod in Jinhae bay, Korea. The surveys were conducted 4 times from May to June using 2 frequency method (38kHz and 120kHz) and beam trawl were used to investigate the species composition. Also the catch amounts of juvenile cod were compared with the cod density estimated by the hydro-acoustic method. It was confirmed that the juvenile cod was stayed in Jinhae bay in early June and There was the relationship between catch of juvenile cod and the estimated density by hydro-acoustic survey. The number of juvenile cod was consequently about 365,000 fish (CV 12.9%) in May and 113,000 fish (CV 9.2%) in May based on the hydro-acoustic data.

Hydro-acoustic survey was carried out to estimate a fish distribution at marine ranching area and aggregated fish schools at artificial reef area in Oeyeondo, Korea. The survey system was set up with DGPS system, scientific echo sounder (EK60, Simrad Co.), and ECDIS (Mecys. Co. LTD). A track survey and a random survey was respectively applied to the marine ranching area (474.4ha) and to the artificial reef area (within a radius of 300m). As the result, fish distribution and MVBS values in marine ranching area showed that created fisheries resources didn't come to be abundant yet as to appear fish distribution in all of the area. In the artificial reef area, it was, however, able to detect many fish school signals on the top of and around artificial reefs and to confirm the luring effect of artificial reefs.