진해만에서의 청어(Clupea pallasii) 산란장 분포와 특성

Abstract

The distribution and characteristics of spawning beds of the Pacific herring Clupea pallasii, were observed by scuba diving in Jinhae Bay, Korea, with a focus on marine vegetation as adhesive substrates and egg density during the spawning season. In 2017, the fertilized eggs of C. pallasii were mainly found attached to the leaves of algae species Carpopeltis cornea, Gracilaria textorii, and Acrosrium polyneurum at the rocky shore in Wonpo-dong and Jeodo. The mean density of fertilized eggs in C. pallasii spawning beds was 153,776 eggs/m2 off Wonpo-dong and 856,430 eggs/ m2 off Jeodo, giving an estimated total of 5.345×109 eggs in Wonpo-dong and 3.3074×1010 eggs in Jeodo. We examined spawning beds with an area of 38,619 m2 off Wonpo-dong and 34,760 m2 off Jeodo. The choice of spawning bed may be affected by the composition of marine vegetation, such as the algal diversity of rocky shore environments, which could affect adhesive substrates and egg density during the spawning season. The results of the present study suggest that the spawning season of C. pallasii in Jinhae Bay is in January to mid-February.