Pholis Fangi Research Articles

Age, growth and life history of gunnel, Pholis fangi, in the Yellow Sea

We examined the formation of annuli by marginal observations on otoliths of gunnel ( Pholis fangi) in the Yellow Sea to validate the age determination method and to derive the growth equation covering from larval to adult stages. Gunnels, ranging from 46 to 173 mm in total length, were collected by a bag net fishery from the western coastal waters off Korea from November 1998 to October 1999. Marginal observations indicated that the translucent zone (annual mark) on adult otolith was formed during the winter, whereas the opaque zone was formed during the summer. However, a translucent zone was formed between May and June in juvenile otoliths. This false ring was formed when the fish transited from the inshore pelagic life of larvae to the offshore bottom life of juveniles. The observed maximum age was 58 months. Using observed length-at-monthly age, growth in length was expressed by von Bertalanffy growth curve; L t = 144.0 (1 − e −0.11 ( t+0.43) ). P. fangi spawned in winter recruit to inshore, and grow quickly in the nursery habitats in spring. Gunnel inhabit the bottom offshore area during the summer season, and reappear inshore thereafter.

장봉도 갯벌의 쥐노래미(Hexagrammos otakii)와 조피볼락(Sebastes schiegeli)의 섭식생태

The comparative feeding ecology of greenling Hexagrammos otakii and Schlegel`s black rockfish Sebastes schlereli populations was investigated in the Jangbong tidal flat near Incheon, Korea. Monthly samples were taken using a modified otter trawl from November 1999 to January 2001. The stomach contents of 124 greenling and 115 Schlegel`s black rockfish were analyzed. The diet of H. otakii was dominated by the amphipods Gammaropsis iaponicus, Caprella scaura, Isaeopsis sp. and Monocorophium acherusicum, the shrimps Latreutes mucronatus and Alpheus japonicus, the mysid Neomysis orientalis and the bivalve Mytilus edulis. In contrast, S. schlegeli mainly fed on the mysids N. orientalis, N japonica, and N. awatschensis, the shrimps Exopalaemon carinicauda, A. japonicus and L. mucronatus, and the fish Pholis fangi and unidentified gobiids. A comparison of the frequency and abundance of food items showed that crustaceans (e.g. amphipods, mysids and shrimps) were important foods for both species. Their main dietary components, however differed which is probably due to differences in the spatial distribution of the two species and their prey items. In conclusion, greenling and Schlegel`s black rockfish, despite being sympatric on a tidal flat have distinct food habits and low dietary overlap (Schooner`s index: 0.1). These results indicate, to some extent, resource partitioning for the maximum utilization of available foods in the tidal flat.

낙동강 하구역 어류의 종조성 변화

Species composition and seasonal variations in abundance of fishes in the Nakdong River estuary were investigated using an otter trawl seasonally from September 2001 to July 2002. These data were compared with those obtained before the construction of the estuary barrage in 1987. A total of 3,648 fishes that comprised 30 species in 21 families were collected. Acanthogobius flavimanus and Leiognathus nuchalis predominated, and they were responsible for in the number of individuals and biomass, respectively. The next abundant fish species were Platycephalus indicus and Liparis tanakai. Compared with data obtained before the construction of the estuary barrage in 1987, abundances of Acanthogobius flavimanus, Platycephajus indicus, Liparis tanakai, Tridentiger trigonocephalus and Lateolabrax japonicus increased, while those of Pholis fangi, Repomucenus valenciennei, Sardineila zunasi and Scomber japonicus decreased. These results seems to be related to change of sediment environment caused by irregular discharge of freshwater with variation of sea water movement in the Nakdong River estuary.