An assessment of habitat conditions for fish species in the Guem River, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess habitat conditions for fish species in the Geum River, Korea through monitoring ecological environment and building database for fish species. For this purpose, 11 stations were monitored from October 2007 to September 2009. A total of 45 fish species were sampled at the monitored stations. As a result, the study found three sensitive species (including Zacco platypus (28.2%), Z. koreanus (13.1%) and Coreoleuciscus splendidus (10.5%)) to be dominant in the fish community in the Geum River. Based on a dendrogram with 50% in similarity rate, sampling stations were subdivided into 5 groups. As a result, it was revealed that the Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) and Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) decreased from upstream to downstream along the river. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) for C. splendidus was determined according to three different stages in terms of life cycle: adult-spawning stage (April to June), adult-juvenile stage (July to September) and adult-immature stage (October to March). The optimal ecological flowrate was estimated at 6.5m 3 /s for the adult-spawning and adultimmature stage, and 8.5m 3 /s for the adult-juvenile stage. On the whole, the river