For rebuilding and managing fish stocks and fisheries, the biological and socioeconomic evaluations on fisheries management regulations are important. This study aimed to estimate the economic effectiveness of different mesh sizes in the yellow croaker gillnet fishery. In particular, by comparing economic effects of mesh sizes, 50mm and 52mm, it aimed to provide the economic validity for increasing mesh sizes. Analytical results showed that the fishing revenue was higher in the vessels using a mesh size over 52mm than that in the vessels using a mesh size less than 50mm. In addition, the effect of fishing cost reduction was also larger in the vessels using a mesh size over 52mm than that in the vessels using a mesh size less than 50mm.

Experimental fishing was carried out to compare the catches of main species and bycatch according to the codend mesh size (raschel, 15mm, 25mm, 35mm, 45mm) of stow net on anchor in the coastal waters of Seocheon after manufacturing five kinds of fishing gears and commercial fishing boat (7.93 tons) was used for it. Anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), southern rough shrimp (Trachysalambria curvirostris), beka squid (Loligo beka), cuttle fish (Sepia esculenta), swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) were dominant on the five kinds of experimental fishing gears. Southern rough shrimp was caught from all kinds of fishing gears and catches of anchovy was highest in the raschel codend, southern rough shrimp for 15mm, 25mm, 35mm codend and beka squid for 45mm codend. Bycatch proportion against total catches was 623,376g (28.7%) for 2,171,844g in raschel, 11,932g (1.7%) for 704,451g in 15mm, 3,616g (1.6%) for 221,432g in 25mm, 9,276g (4.9%) for 191,052g in 35mm and 2,724g (5.3%) for 51,431g in 45mm.