Abstract
This study was conducted to estimate the number of lost or abandoned plastic sea-eel pots and investigate the actual condition on the ghost fishing happened from the pots during the period of August 1996 and January 2002 In the Southern Sea of Korea. The average number of lost or abandoned sea-eel pots in the investigated sea area were 34 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ and was the lowest as 5 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ Sea Area code # 113 and was the highest as 94 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ in the Sea Area code #106. Pots number in accordance with water depth was the highest as 89 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ on the level of 61 ~70m and there was no collection for the sea-eel pot over 130m water depth. The average catch rate of ghost fishing happened from the lost or abandoned pots was 8.1% and the highest rate was 25% in the Sea Area code #224 and there were no catches in the Sea Area code # 92, 110, 243 and 253. The number of lost or abandoned sea-eel pots continued ghost fishing were estimated as 14.2 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ in the Sea Area code # 99 and was the highest. Catch rate of ghost fishing according to water depth was the highest as 23.5% on the level of 71~80 m, and the number of lost or abandoned sea-eel pots continued ghost fishing were estimated as 12.7 ea/$\textrm{km}^2$ on the level of 81~90m and was the highest. Length distribution of sea-eel which were caught from ghost fishing was 25.5~66.0$\textrm{cm}^2$
이 연구는 1996년 8월부터 2002년 1월까지 우리나라에서 붕장어를 어획하는 대표적인 어구인 플라스틱 붕장어 통발이 바다 속에 어느 정도 유실되거나 버려져 있는지를 조사하고, 이들 통발에 의한 Ghost fishing의 실태를 파악하기 위하여 실시되었다. 유실되거나 버려진 통발의 수는 조사가 이루어진 해구에서 평균 34개/$\textrm{km}^2$ 나타났으며, 106해구에서 94개/$\textrm{km}^2$로 가장 많았고, 113해구에서 5개/$\textrm{km}^2$ 가장 적었다 수심에 따른 분포에서는 61~70m의 수심대에서 89개/$\textrm{km}^2$으로 가장 많았고, 130m 이상의 수심에서는 수집되지 않았다. 이들 통발에 의한 Ghost fishing의 평균 어획률은 8.1%였고, 224해구에서 어획률이 25%로서 가장 높았고, 92, 110, 243 및 253해구에서는 어획이 없었다. Ghost fishing을 하고 있는 통발의 수는 99해구에서 14.2개/$\textrm{km}^2$ 추정되어 가장 많았다. 수심에 따른 어획률은 71~80m에서 20%로 가장 높았고, Ghost fishing을 하고 있는 통발의 수는 81~90m에서 12.7개/$\textrm{km}^2$로 가장 높은 것으로 추정되었다. Ghost fishing에 의해 어획된 붕장어의 체장 분포는 25.5cm~66.0cm였다.
