Fishing pots are one of the important fishing gears in our coastal and offshore fisheries. In terms of a sustainable use of marine resources, there are concerns about the ghost fishing by lost pots. It is reported that 10 to 70% of the pots are abandoned or lost annually. This study is to compare the catching efficiency of drum type whelk pots that are made of biodegradable nets to those made of the ordinary nets, in the eastern coast of Korea. Five types of drum pots were used with combination of biodegradable nets and ordinary (PA, PE) nets applied to the main and funnel parts of the pots: pots with biodegradable nets (Bio+Bio); pots with PE net (PE+PE); pots with body and funnel made of biodegradable nets and PE nets respectively (Bio+PE); pots with body and funnel made of PE nets and PA nets respectively (PE+PA); pots with body and funnel made of PE nets and biodegradable net respectively (PE+Bio). Field experiments were conducted from June 18th, 2015 to August 7th, 2015 using a commercial fishing vessel in the Uljin waters on the eastern coast of Korea. Two fleets of pots with one hundred in each, 20 pots of each type, were casted for 8 to 15 days to analyze their catching efficiency. The catch of target species, whelks, was 202,563.0 g with catch rate of 38.7% of the total catch, while the bycatch was 320,709.7 g with the rate of 61.3% of the total catch. The catch of whelks was the highest in the Bio+PE pots (46,020.3 g), followed by the Bio+Bio pots (42,027.5 g), the PE+Bio pots (41,849.9 g) and the lowest being PE+PE pots (38,054.2 g). Compared to the conventional pots, the pots with biodegradable nets on the body or entrance part had slightly higher catch rate for both the target species and the bycatch. The PE+PE had the lowest catch rate. There is no significant difference in catch between the pots with biodegradable nets and the ordinary nets for the target species such as Buccinum opisthoplectum, Neptunea eulimata, Buccinum striatissimum. Consequently, using biodegradable nets for the conventional whelk pots can reduce ghost fishing by lost gears while keeping the performance of the pots.

Shrimp beam trawl fishery is one of the important coastal fisheries in Korea. It has a regulation to the length of beam (8m) and wing net (7m) of shrimp beam trawl that has been used in the district of Junlanam-do and Gyungsangnam-do. This regulation was made in relation to the size of shrimp beam trawler of 3-ton class at that time. Now the shrimp beam fishing vessel has a limit not greater than 5 tons in gross ton. Recently, with improvement of fishing industry and fishing vessel fishermen asked the expansion of the length of beam and wing net, therefore it is necessary to investigate the effect of lengthening the beam and wing net length. Three different beams (8m, 10m and 12m in length) and three different wing net (7m, 10m and 13m in length) were made and the experiment was conducted near Narodo of Goheng by two fishing vessels of 4.98 and 4.88 tons in gross ton between June 2011 and October 2012. When the length of wing net was increased from 7m to 10m and 13m, the relative catch ratio in total biomass was increased 25% and 79% for shrimp, (17% and 22% in total), respectively. And when the beam length was increased from 8m to 10m and 12m, the relative catch ratio was increased 35% and 84% for shrimp, (21% and 37% in total), respectively. The force exerted to the iron guide of inhauler’s with the beam length of 8m was about 30% greater than that with the beam length of 10m when hauling the shrimp beam trawl net.

To investigate the catching efficiency of a biodegradable round trap for a swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus), four types of material (two types of biodegradable net, one type of biodegradable plus polyethylene net and one type of polyethylene net) for traps were used in the field test, and the field tests were carried out 11 times in the Boryeong fishing ground of Korea, 2012∼2013. The catching efficiency of four type traps was analyzed by catch per trap, weight per trap and mean weight per individual of small and large size swimming crab. Statistical Kruskal-Wallis test was carried out to verify the significant difference for the efficiency between types of material. The catch in number of swimming crab was 9,015 and formed about 94.3% of total catch. In the results of catching efficiency of traps, there was a little difference in catch per trap, weight per trap and mean weight per individual of swimming crab in-situ data. But there was no significant difference in catching efficiency between the biodegradable traps and the PE trap (P>0.05), so it’s needed to use widely a biodegradable trap for the conservation and sustainable management of swimming crab resources.

Physical characteristics of PA (Polyamide) gill net and biodegradable gill net made by PBS (Polybutylene succinate) (mesh size 63mm, mesh thickness number 2, 2.5, 3) were analyzed to investigate catching efficiency of the biodegradable gill net for Pacific herring. Total 11 numbers of catching efficiency tests were carried out using commercial fishing vessel at Imwon port in Kangwon province from May to June 2013. The amount of catches were 1,535.7kg (18 species) through the catching efficiency tests and it is expected that the practicalization of biodegradable gillnet is possible because there is no difference for catches between PA gillnet and PBS gillnet. Catches of herring according to the thickness of net twine was the highest at No.2 and the thicker net twine tends to decrease the catches.

To study the catching efficiency of biodegradable trammel net for swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus), three types (biodegradable, monofilament and multifilament) of trammel nets were used in the field test, and the tests were carried out 16 times with two different mesh sizes (105mm and 160mm) in the Yeonpyeong fishing ground of Korea, 2009~2011. The catching efficiency of three type nets was analyzed by catch in number, catch in weight and average weight per individual of small and large size swimming crab by net types and mesh sizes. Statistical T-test was also carried out to verify the efficiency between the three types of nets. The results are as follows. The catch in number of swimming crab was 24,667 and formed about 81.0% of total catch. Of all swimming crab catch, small swimming crabs with less than 64mm in carapace length which is a prohibited landing size by law formed 48.1%, larger swimming crabs with more than 64mm in carapace length which is a landing size formed 51.9%. In 105mm mesh size trammel net test, the catch share in number of small size swimming crab by biodegradable trammel net was 47.5% in comparison with multifilament trammel net and 74.2% in comparison with monofilament trammel net, so biodegradable trammel net has more protective effects on small size swimming crab than other types of trammel nets. The protective effects for small size swimming crab by biodegradable trammel net was 25.8~52.5% in comparison with other types of trammel nets. The catch share in weight of large size swimming crab by biodegradable trammel net was 98.3% in comparison with multifilament trammel net and 92.3% in comparison with monofilament trammel net, so biodegradable trammel net has a similar catch efficiency to multifilament trammel net. The results of 160mm mesh size trammel net test have shown similar results of 105mm mesh size trammel net test. This study shows that biodegradable trammel net is a more useful fishing gear than multifilament and monofilament trammel net because biodegradable trammel net has lower catch rate than other types of nets in small size swimming crab and similar catch rate than multifilament trammel net which is a well used net by fishermen.

This study made a comparative analysis of behavioral reaction of squid to red (624nm), green (524nm), blue (460nm) & white LED light, its arrival time for the shadow section by making the shadow section in the central section of a water tank just like the bottom part of a squid jigging vessel, and on-site catching efficiency of LED fishing lamp with control fishing vessel. The color LED light showing the highest squidgathering rate as against the shadow section was found to be blue LED light with 39.3% rate under the dark (0.05lx) condition. Under the brighter condition than 0.05lx, white LED light was found to have the highest gathering rate of 41.5%. In addition, it was found that squid gathering rate was high at the shadow section which showed 6.3-fold brightness difference between the shadow section and bright section. As for the arrival time for the shadow section, blue LED light was found to be the fastest in attracting squids in 192.7 seconds under the dark condition while the red LED light was the fastest in luring squids in 164.6 seconds under the bright condition. The ratio of the squid-jigging operation and sailing in fuel consumption of the fishing vessel loaded with LED fishing lamp is about 7 to 1, showing most of the fuel is consumed more in sailing than in squid-jigging operation. As for a catch of squid, the control vessel loaded with MH (Metal Halide) fishing lamp had more catch of 600-7,080 squids than the vessel loaded with LED fishing lamp having a catch of 260-1,700 squids. In addition, even in the comparison of a catch per automatic jigging machine, the catch of the vessel loaded with MH fishing lamp excelled that of the vessel loaded with LED fishing lamp in 6 operations of squid jigging out of 9 operations. The ratio of hand-jigging and automatic jigging machine (one line) in the LED fishing lamp vessel was 1:1.1 excepting the case of having a catch only using an automatic jigging machine, showing almost the same with each other in catches, while in case of a MH fishing lamp vessel, its ratio against hand-jigging was 1 to 5.8, showing hand-jigging excelled in catches.

In order to develop the biodegradable monofilament gill net for the protection of marine ecosystem and reduction of ghost fishing, enpol monofilament gill net was made for Chionoecetes opilio using polybutylene succinate as a biodegradable chip. Catching efficiency on 2 type monofilament gill net, PA and Enpol, were carried out using 2 commercial fishing boats around the fishing ground of Wang-dol rock from January 2004 to May 2006. Enpol monofilament gill net spun polybutylene succinate as a biodegradable chip was appeared high practicality for Chionoecetes opilio gill net. Target fishing ratio were 98% and 98.3% for the PA and enpol monfilament gill net, respectively. In addition, CPUE ratio of female and male(CL < 90mm) to Chionoecetes opilio caught in the enpol gill net were 25.3-40.3%, 14.0-22.1% less than PA gill net, respectively. However, CPUE ratio of male(CL > 90mm) to Chionoecetes opilio caught in the enpol gill net were 2.5-11.3% more than PA gill net. There was no difference in CPUE of female and male to Chionoecetes opilio caught using 2 gill nets as a result of the significance level of 5% by T-test.

홑자망과 삼중자망에 의한 어획성능을 파악하기 위하여 한국 남해안의 거문도연안에 시설된 세라믹 어초어장에서 어구 성능시험과 수중 비디오 카메라로 어군 위집상을 조사로 하였다. 흩자망에 의한 폭당 어획량은 삼중자망에 비해 49.2% 많았으나, 어종수는 34.5% 적었는데, 이를 ANOVA로 분석한 결과 5% 유의수준에서 차이가 없었다. 어구별 우점종은 홑자망에서 참돔 1종, 삼중자망에서 참돔, 말쥐치, 홍어 등 3종이었으며, 홑자망에의해 어획된 참돔의 체장범위와 평균체장은 삼중자망에 어획된 참돔보다 다소 적게 나타났다. 홑자망에 의한 어획성능이 삼중자망보다 높았던 원인은 홑자망에 어획되기 쉬운 어종이 군을 형성하고 있었고, 개체의 크기도 홑자망에 적합하였기 때문이라고 판단된다.