Korea Euphausiid Research Efforts

Abstract

Euphausiids, although occuring throughout Korean waters, have hardly been major target species in moxt marine ecological investigations, and only limited advancements were made in a few particular aspects of krill biology selected by individual scientists. Nevertheless, as bimonthly regular sampling and observational programmes covering much of the Kroean waters resulted in a large collection of euphausiid specimens over a decade, even if the west coast of Korea was made, and larval Euphausia pacifica in the area was re-described in detail with comparison to the specimens from the other parts of the world. There was a case where entrapped euphausiids clogging the seawater intake of power plants offered specimens for population studies of surface aggregations. Unfortunately acoustics have hardly been employed in krill studies in domestic waters, and this was a major hindrance to determing synoptic and dynamic krill distribution in wider temporal and spatial scale. Investigations in different water masses around Korea are likely to offer different merits in krill studies; euphausiids off the west coast of Korea (Yellow Sea) appear to live closer to upper temperature limit and may have needed to adapt in unique ways. Off the east coast of Korea (East Sea), there is better historical data and more active interdisciplinary research. These differences will have to be considered in constructing future research plans. Korean efforts in krill research also too place outside national waters, particularly in the Southern Ocean mostly by the polar programme. One of these was the development of biochemical age and feeding descriptors. Characterisong krill aggregations and linking them to some environmental factors were attempted, and this might represent a response to a spectrum in food condition, and an interaction with predators. Collaboration with colleagues employing animal-born loggers and camera appears promising in examining the aggregation dynamics of krill affected by