Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) began to operate in earnest in the early 1980s. Since then, the total catch has shown an increasing trend and the target species are skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacare) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). Based on the operational data of Korean tuna purse seine fishery from 2016 to 2020, the catch rates of target species (skipjack and yellowfin tunas) were analyzed by operation time for set types (free school and FAD sets). In the case of the free school sets, they were usually made from sunrise to sunset, and the catch rate was high before and after sunrise for skipjack tuna and before sunset for yellowfin tuna. On the other hand, for the FAD sets, more than 90% of them were made just before sunrise, and there were few operations during the daytime. The purpose of this study is to examine whether there are differences in the catch rate of skipjack and yellowfin tunas by operation time and by school type for Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the WCPO, which could be helpful in understanding its fishing characteristics and providing useful information for developing the stock indices of the target species.

In this study, the risk factors of coastal purse seine fisherman were analyzed through a survey of fishery workers of coastal purse seine fishery and the accident compensation insurance data of the fisheries workers of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC). The classified fishing operation accident data was analyzed through 4M (Man, Machine, Media, Management) model of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the accident prevention measures were presented using Harvey's 3E (Engineering, Education, Enforcement) model. The rate of accidents on coastal purse seinens each year was 75.8‰, 36.7‰ and 74.8‰ from 2015 to 2017. The accident frequency resulting from slipping was the highest, and the risk of a contact with gear was low. When comparing each insurance data, the average value of the contact with gear accident was the highest. This research result is expected to be important data in identifying and preventing safety hazards of coastal purse seiner fisherman in the future.

In order to understand characteristics on bycatch of Korean tuna purse seine fishery, especially operations associated with Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) in the Indian Ocean, we conducted analyses related to bycatch by school association type (unassociated school, FAD associated school and log associated school) using the data collected by scientific observers from 2016 to 2018. The FAD used by Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the Indian Ocean was a drifting FAD, which belongs to non-entangling FADs according to the category proposed by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). The target species of Korean tuna purse seine fishery are skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tunas, accounting for 99% of the total catch. The ratio of bycatch was 0.97% in total catch and the discard accounted for less than 1%, indicating that most catch was retained on board. In terms of bycatch ratio by school association type, it accounted for 0.12% for unassociated school, 1.09% for FAD associated school and 1.25% for log associated school. As for the catch proportion of shark species by school association type, it accounted for 0.01% for unassociated school, 0.11% for FAD associated school and 0.10% for log associated school, which showed that unassociated school type was the lowest to affect bycatch of non-target and shark species. Given the proportion of bycatch compositions, however, it is considered that FAD associated school of Korean tuna purse seine fishery has less caught bycatch species of non-target and shark, compared to other fleets operating in the Indian Ocean.

This paper examines the trend of restructuring and direction of management response in the Large Purse Seine Fishery. The large-scale fishing industry is one of the most popular fishing areas in the coastal area, and it has been developed by providing exclusive supplies of many types of catchy fish, such as mackerel and horse mackerel through physical productivity in fleet operations. However, the Large Purse Seine Fishery has been declining in profitability due to the deterioration of the business environment since 2000. It is at a crossroads whether it will disappear or regenerate as it is. The Large Purse Seine Fishery's current problems are: firstly, the continued deterioration of the fishery business balance and worsening labor problems, secondly, insufficient freshness management and quality control after landing, and thirdly, import competition. The fourth is the intensification of the market competition, which is the evolution of fishing variability and the increase in the proportion of small fish. The fifth is the reduction of the operating fishing ground due to the suspension of mutual fishing in Korea and Japan. To address these problems and suggest management response directions for the survival of large-scale fishing businesses is as follows. First, a sustainable production system should be established through strengthening resource management and promoting international fisheries cooperation. Second, the profitability of fishing management should be improved by introducing a low-cost supplier system and securing a stable labor force. Third, we should improve the leading and quality control of catch, improve the high value-added value of catch through brand development, and secure competitive advantage with imported produce. Finally, the government should establish a cooperative system among private sector, government, and research institutes to push ahead with these tasks and strengthen the competitiveness of the front and rear industries.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) selected fishing as the most dangerous group of jobs in the world, and it is well known in Korea as a 4D industry. Offshore large purse seine accounts for the largest portion of the fishing industry in the coastal region with high death rate and the accident rate. The repeated disaster rate survey by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) shows offshore large purse seiner is the highest at 22.3 percent and coastal gill nets and offshore stow net are following at 12.4 percent and 11.9 percent in order. Therefore, risk factors occurring in offshore large purse seiners were analyzed based on data from the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC) for three years from 2015 to 2017 and 4M (Man, Machine, Media, Management) 3E (Engineering, Education, Enforcement) techniques were used to provide a safe fishing environment. The number of accidents on offshore large purse seiners each year was more than 150, and the number of accidents on every fishing boats was as high as 17 percent in 2015. If the accident rate and the risk level were divided by insurance, the accident resulting from contact with machinery was the highest, and the risk of a contact with gear was low but frequently occurring. This was caused by collisions and contact with gear in situations where death and disappearance risk are not high, and accident types in situations where death and loss risk are considered to be contact with machinery, falls or other accidents. Through these analysis techniques, the frequency and risk of each type of accident on a offshore large purse seiners can be demonstrated, and it is expected to raise awareness of a safer fishing environment and contribute to the reduction of accidents.

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) has been mostly caught by the Korean offshore large purse seine fishery in Korean waters. The annual catch of Pacific bluefin tuna caught by the offshore large purse seine fishery in Korean waters showed less than 1,000 mt until the 1990s except for 1997. The catch sharply increased to 2,401 mt in 2000 and recorded the highest of 2,601 mt in 2003, but the catch has generally decreased with a fluctuation thereafter. The main fishing ground of Pacific bluefin tuna of this fishery is formed around Jeju Island. However, it expanded to the Yellow Sea, the coastal of Busan, and the East Sea, which depends on the migration patterns of Pacific bluefin tuna by season. The CPUE standardization of Pacific bluefin tuna was conducted using Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to assess the proxy of the abundance index. The data used for the GLM were catch (weight), effort (number of hauls), catch ratio of Pacific bluefin tuna, moon phase by year, quarter and area. The standardized CPUE from 2004 to 2011, except for 2003 and 2010, showed a steady trend, and then increased until 2014. The CPUE in 2015 decreased, and in 2016 was higher than that in 2015. The result of GLM suggests that the effect of the catch ratio of Pacific bluefin tuna is the largest factor affecting the nominal CPUE.

Lots of fishery stocks are overexploited and the overcapacity exists in Korean fishing fleets. One of the reasons is technological development, which increases the efficiency of the vessels continuously. The analysis was conducted to identify the change of fishing power index to develop the vessel and gear technology that may have improved the fishing efficiency of the offshore large powered purse seine fishery from 1960s to 2010s. Gross tonnage and horse power per fishing vessel was increased annually. Fishing gear material was changed to the knotless webbing to settle faster. Fishing equipments was modernized and supply rate was also increased. Therefore the relative fishing power index in the offshore large powered purse seine fishery increased from 0.4 in 1970 to 1.0 in 1980, to 1.5 in 2000 and to 1.6 in 2010, but the rate of increase slowed down gradually. The results are expected to contribute to reasonable fishery stock management.

The WCPFC CMMs related to tropical tunas have been strongly restricting fishing capacity and operating activities of main fisheries, especially purse seine fishery. In terms of changes in fishing trend by implementing relevant measures of FAD set, the number of FAD set by Korean purse seine fleet showed a decreasing pattern with the lowest level of FAD set proportion among major distant water fishing nations. With regards to the FAD closure, there was no significant change in fishing effort but a drop in catch, especially bigeye tuna during the period of FAD closure. Moreover, it showed closely similar trends between the number of FAD set and bigeye tuna catch. In terms of measures related to the high sea area including a ban on fishing on the HSP and limitation of fishing days on the high sea by flag state, proportions of catch and effort on the high sea had sharply declined after implementing those measures. As relevant measures are expected to be strengthened, it should pay attention to change of coastal nations policies and focus on improving fishing efficiency of unassociated school set with multi-pronged efforts.

Fishing characteristics of Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the Pacific Ocean were investigated using logbook data compiled from captain onboard and the statistical data from 1980 to 2014. Changes in fishing ground and correlation between marine environmental factors and fishing patterns were investigated using Oceanographic index. The proportion of unassociated set was higher than that of associated set. The catch proportion of yellowfin was higher in the unassociated set, while that of skipjack and bigeye was higher in the associated set. Due to vessels, fishing gears and Korean captains’ high-level of skills in fishing technology optimized for the unassociated set and preference of large fishes, especially large yellowfin tuna, it showed unique fishing characteristics focusing on the unassociated set. As for fishing distributions of Korean tuna purse seine fishery and impacts of oceanographic conditions on the fishery, the main fishing ground was concentrated on the area of 5°N~10°S, 140°E~180° through the decades. When stronger El-nino occurred, the range of fishing ground tended to expand and main fishing ground moved to the eastern part of western and central Pacific Ocean. During this season, yellowfin tuna had high CPUE and catch proportion of yellowfin tuna in the eastern part also increased. As for the proportion of fishing effort by set type, proportion of log associated set was high during El-nino season while that of FAD associated set was high during La-nina season.

Fishing trend and characteristics of Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the Pacific Ocean were investigated using logbook data compiled from captain onboard and the statistical data from 1980 to 2013. The historical catch of this fishery had sharply increased since mid–1980s, and it has shown fluctuations with about 2–3 hundred thousands, whereas the catch per number of vessel has steadily increased with fluctuations since commencing this fishery. As for the proportion of catch by set type, unassociated type had increased from the mid–1980s to the end of 1990s, and then has decreased up to 2010s. Associated type had decreased continually to the end of 1990s, however, it started to increase since the beginning of 2000s. As for the catch proportion of set type by main species, those of skipjack tuna and bigeye tuna showed higher in the associated type, whereas that of yellowfin tuna has the highest proportion in the unassociated type. Fishing distribution of Korean tuna purse seine fishery was concentrated on the area of 5°N~10°S and 140°E~180° through the decades. The monthly catch distribution by longitudinal zone of Korean tuna purse seine fishery expanded the most further to the eastward in September to October.

This paper conducted research on identifying the process of change in fishing gear and organizing the function of periodically-used fishing gear types through net plan and computer simulation by selecting the design of the four types of fishing gear used for the Korea tuna purse seiner in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which 1,000 G/T class and whose length over all 60 m class. In the late 1980s, the length of the tuna purse gear was 1,939 m and the design depth was 160 m, but currently, the length and the design depth are 2,515 m and 230 m, respectively. As a result of the simulation, the expansion of the fishing gear increased buoyance, sinking force, sinking depth, surrounded area, and purse wire continuously. Recently, the maximum tension of the currently used purse wire of tuna purse seiner is 23.5 tons and is close to 25.4 tons which is the maximum lift capacity of WS454 winch. The way to improve fishing gear should be proceeded to increase sinking speed rather than expand the size of fishing gear.

The global warming related to GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions from industries is a major issue globally. Furthermore, GHG emissions from the fishery industries also represent an important issue, as indicated by "The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries" at the Cancun, Mexico, meeting in 1992 and by the Kyoto protocol in 2005. Korea pronounced itself to be a voluntary exclusion management country at the 16th IPCC at Cancun, Mexico, in 2010. However, few analyses of GHG emissions from Korean fisheries have been performed. Therefore, a quantitative analysis of GHG emissions from the major Korean fisheries is needed before guidelines for reducing GHG emissions from the fishing industry can be established. The aim of this study was to assess the present GHG emissions from the Korean Purse seine fishery using the LCA (life cycle assessment) method. The system boundary and allocation method were defined for the LCA analysis. The fuel consumption factor of the purse seine fishery was also calculated. The GHG emissions for the edible fish were evaluated by determining the weights of whole fish and gutted fish. Finally, the GHG emissions required to produce 1kg of whole fish and 1kg of edible fish were deduced. The results will help determine the GHG emissions from the fishery. They will also be helpful to stakeholders and the government in understanding the circumstances involved in GHG emissions from the fishing industry.

Korean large purse seine fishery catches chub mackerel, sardine, jack mackerel, Spanish mackerel, etc. which are mainly pelagic fish species. The proportion of chub mackerel was 60% over in Korean large purse seine fishery. Sea surface temperature (SST) increased 0.0253℃ per year and total rising rate was 0.759℃ from 1980 to 2009 in the southern sea of Korea, where is mainly fishing grounds of Korean large purse seine. It was that p〈0.01 level was statistically significant. It is northward movement that the center of fishing grounds of chub mackerel by Korean large purse seine fishery moved 4.57km/yr. It was rapidly northward movement about 7.1km/yr, 8.13km/yr to move Spanish mackerel and bluefin tuna fishing grounds. However, the fishing grounds of jack mackerel were moved further south in the 2000s than the 1980s. Catch of tunas and bluefin tuna consistently increased in Korean waters. There was a significantly positive correlation between SST and catch of bluefin tuna in the fishing grounds of Korean waters.

Changes in ecosystem risks were evaluated using the ecosystem-based fisheries assessment (EBFA) approach of Zhang et al. (2009, 2010) and the comprehensive ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) plan was made for the southern sea of Korea in this study. The risk assessment of the southern sea ecosystem was conducted by establishing ecosystem management objectives and by estimating risk scores (RS) for indicators. To conduct this analysis a number of indicators and their reference points for assessing these risk scores were developed in this study. The number of indicators in the risk analysis was 28 for the quantitative tier 1 analysis and 30 for the qualitative tier 2 analysis. The objective risk index (ORI), species risk index (SRI) and fisheries risk index (FRI) were calculated from the risk scores. Comparing the past (1988) and the current (2008) status of fisheries resources, management implications were discussed. The fishery risk index (FRI) of large purse seine fishery in the southern sea of Korea decreased substantially from 0.972 in 1988 to 0.883 in 2008, and improvement in the management of fisheries operated in the southern sea of Korea.

This fundamental studies on for the productivity improvement and laborsaving of purse seine fishery. Given the difficulty posed from the distortion of net shape caused by the external forces, such as tide, at the time of shooting and pursing, we set the 4 steps of 0, 2, 4 and 6cm/sec in flow velocity in the flume tank for the experiment in order to examine those characteristics. We used two model seines designed on the scale of 1 to 180 based on the power block seine, which is the mackerel purse seine generally used in the near sea of Jeju Island and triplex seine, which is the mackerel purse seine of one boat system fishing expected in the future, for the experiment, and interpreted the characteristics of several motion in water, such as the shape of seine, the change in tension and area during pursing and its the analysis results are as follows. Though the experiment could be conducted up to 6cm/sec of flow velocity that was defined, the experiment could not go on because of the severe distortion in the seine at the flow velocity in excess of 6cm/sec. As for the depth of leadline and reduction rate of side area of seine when the pursing is connected, P seine turned out to be slightly higher than T seine, and the hauling speed and reduction rate of upper area of seine were found similar to each other. The correlation between the hauling time (Ht) and depth of lead line (Dhp, Dht) of P seine and T seine can be expressed by the equation, that is, Dhp=(0.99Pt-7.63)Pt+69.01, Dht=(1.03Pt-7.73)Pt+66.74. The correlation between the hauling time and hauling velocity (Hpp, Hpt) can be expressed by the equation, that is, Hpp=-0.06Ht2+0.88Ht+0.78, Hpt=-0.05Ht2+0.81Ht+0.98 here, Pt is pursing time. And the correlation between the pursing time and the reduction rate of side area (sArp, sArt) can be expressed by the equation, that is, sArp=-0.48Pt2+14.79Pt-16.74, sArt=-0.45Pt2+14.56Pt-16.48. The reduction rate of upper area of seine (tArp, tArt) can be expressed by the equation, that is, tArp=0.34Pt2-0.66Pt-0.74, tArt=0.34Pt2-0.27Pt-1.80. In addition, the correlation between the pursing time and tension of purse line (Tep, Tet) can be expressed by the equation, that is, Tep=2.79Pt2+2.26Pt-0.60, Tet=2.14Pt2+8.08Pt-27.50.

It is the basic studies for productivity improvement and laborsaving of purse seine fishery. Because the seine shape is apt to be transformed in seine shooting process due to the effect of tide, this study is intended to establish 4 steps, whose flow velocity are 0, 2, 4 and 6cm/sec, in flume tank and perform the experiment to review the character. We used two model seines designed on the scale of 1 to 180 based on the power block seine, which is the mackerel purse seine generally used in the near sea of Jeju Island and triplex seine, which is the mackerel purse seine of one boat system fishing expected in the future, for the experiment, analyzed of the sinking movements on the two seines and its results are as follows. In the setting over the flow velocity 6cm/sec, experiment was impossible because of flying and transformation of seine were severe. The sinking movements of P seine and T seine generally showed linear phenomenon and the sinking speed showed gentle curve shape. Sinking tendency was distinguished by existence of flow velocity. When there is flow velocity, it showed the phenomenon that it sinking by similar type. Although sinking depth and sinking speed did not show distinguished classification, P seine shows bigger than T seine. When there was in flow velocity, the elapsed time(Et) and sinking depth (PDp, TDp) of P seine and T seine can be shown such experimental equations as PDp=(0.21V+4.96)Et-(0.62V-0.10) and TDp=(0.19V+4.95)Et-(0.72V+0.34). When there was in flow velocity, the elapsed time and siking speed (PSp, TSp) of P seine and T seine can be shown such experimental equations as PSp=-0.11Et2+1.42Et+1.75 and TSp=-0.11Et2+1.41Et+1.37.

This paper summarizes characteristics of the Korean tuna purse seine fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). Major fishing area for the Korean tuna purse seine fleet consisted of the waters of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and adjacent high seas between 130˚E-180˚ The center of the Korean tuna fishing ground was in the vicinity of 180˚ during the El - Niño event but was formed in 150˚-160˚E during the La - Niño event. As compared with other major purse seine fleets in WCPO, the Korean fleet set more on unassociated schools of tuna, while Japan, USA and Chinese - Taipei fleets accounted for more than 50% of sets on log - associated schools. In general, CPUES for log - associated schools were higher than those for unassociated schools and catch composition showed that yellowfin ratio was higher in unassociated shools than log - associated schools. Length frequency represented higher percentage of mid - sized yellowfin than Japanese and USA fleets. Daily set numbers and CPUE were high before 7 am and remained almost constant from 7 am to 3 pm but decreased rapidly after 3 pm and 5 pm, respectively. Catch composition per set indicated that pure skipjack school was caught most frequently, followed by mixed school and pure yellowfin school as the least, but CPUE was highest for the mixed school.