Spatiotemporal Changes in Catch Composition of Marine Species Across Seawater Temperature Shift Points in Korean Water
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Department of Multimedia, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 58754, Republic of Korea
2
Department of Smart Fisheries Resource Management, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 59626, Republic of Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(9), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091212
Submission received: 3 April 2025
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Revised: 18 April 2025
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Accepted: 23 April 2025
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Published: 24 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Aquatic Animals)
Simple Summary
Climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise, which affects the types and numbers of fish that can live in certain areas. This study looked at fishing data and water temperatures around Korea from 1999 to 2021 to understand how these changes impact marine life. The results show that as water temperatures increased, fish diversity changed across Korea’s three seas—the East, West, and South Seas. The East Sea remained relatively stable, but the West and South Seas experienced more noticeable changes in which species were caught. Some species, like octopus and squid, continued to be caught in high numbers and seemed less affected by temperature changes, suggesting that they are more adaptable. On the other hand, a valuable species, the Japanese flying squid, showed clear declines in catch numbers and changes in where it could be found. These findings suggest that better fishing rules, like limits on catch size and timing, are needed to protect fish populations. Also, creating marine protected areas that cover larger regions, especially across country borders, could help conserve fish species that move between areas and ensure the long-term health of the ocean ecosystem.
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of water temperature and catch frequency on biodiversity and distribution in the waters around Korea. We analyzed spatiotemporal catch data reported by fishermen and evaluated the fluctuations in the dominantly caught species based on the timing of the water temperature changes between 1999 and 2021. This study found an upward trend in the water temperature, and species diversity increased in the East, West, and South Seas after the water temperature changed. Relatively stable species diversity was maintained in the East Sea/Sea of Japan, although variability increased significantly in the West and South Seas. The distribution in the caught species showed that Octopodidae spp. and Ommastrephidae spp. were increasingly caught more consistently alongside Pleuronectidae spp. Moreover, this dominance was maintained even after the change in water temperature and was shown to be relatively less sensitive to water temperature changes.
