Catch variation of a set net fishing ground in the coastal waters off Neungpo, Goeje Island

Abstract

The fisheries resources by a set net in the coastal waters off Neungpo, Goeje Island from 2003 to 2004 were studied to determine species composition and catch variation. The main fishing period by a set net were from April to December in 2003 and from May to December in 2004. A total weight of 48 species caught through the survey period was 540,688.0kg. Most of them were 44 species of fishes and a few were 4 species of cephalopods. Dominant species was Trachurus japonicus accounting to 57.5% in total catch. Subdominant species were Trichiurus lepturus(12.9%), Engraulis japonicus(10.6%), Scomber japonicus(6.9%), Clupea pallasii(4.5%), Todarodes pacificus(2.8%) and Parapristipoma trilineaturm (1.3%). The remnant species showed a low catch, indicating the catch had less than 1% in total, respectively. T. japonicus and T. lepturus were caught throughout the survey period, but C. pallasii, Gadus macro-cephalus, Oncorhynchus keta in low temperature season and Thunnus obesus in high temperature season. The fishing ground temperature was 11.7 24.0 in range and the catch by a set net was higher in autumn than in spring and in summer with the variation of fishing ground temperature. The annual catch by a set net was much higher in 2004 than in 2003 due to high temperature( 17 ) and the recruitment of T. japonicus from offshore seas. Therefore we concluded that the catch of Neungpo fishing ground by a set net was highly related to the variation of T. japonicus catch with fishing ground temperature.