The Application of a Fish-Based Multi-Metric Index for the Assessment of Ecological Qualities of Estuaries in the Korean Peninsula

Jun-Wan Kim, Kyu-Jin Kim, Beom-Myeong Choi, Kyung-Lak Lee, Min-Ho Jang () and Ju-Duk Yoon ()
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Jun-Wan Kim: Department of Biology Education, Kongju National University, Gongju 32588, Korea
Kyu-Jin Kim: Department of Biology Education, Kongju National University, Gongju 32588, Korea
Beom-Myeong Choi: Department of Biology Education, Kongju National University, Gongju 32588, Korea
Kyung-Lak Lee: Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Korea
Min-Ho Jang: Department of Biology Education, Kongju National University, Gongju 32588, Korea
Ju-Duk Yoon: Research Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang 36531, Korea

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Brackish water zones are areas with high ecological conservation value. In this study, 325 river estuaries in the Korean peninsula in individual sea areas (West Sea, South Sea, and East Sea) were divided into types of estuaries (upstream and downstream of open estuaries, closed estuaries) through the assessment of the health of the estuary aquatic ecosystems and fish communities were identified. An ecological assessment was carried out using the Korea Estuary Fish Assessment Index (KEFAI). The number of species increased as the size of the river increased in the case of small estuaries but gradually decreased in the case of large estuaries. In the closed estuaries, the relative abundances (RAs) of primary freshwater fish were the highest; however, in the open estuaries, the RAs of estuary fish were the highest. Non-metric dimensional analysis results suggested that there was a clear difference between the fish assemblages in the closed and open estuaries. The overall results of this study were that the RA of tolerant species was higher, and KEFAI was lower in closed estuaries than in open estuaries, indicating the negative effects of the construction of transverse structures on fish assemblages. The health of these estuarine ecosystems can be improved by addressing these negative effects.

Keywords: estuary; fish community; Korea Estuary Fish Assessment Index (KEFAI) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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