한반도 연안 백화발생현황에 대한 논평

Abstract

Large seaweeds can form dense underwater forests. These forests provide a physical structure that supports marine communities by providing animals with food and shelter. Until the end of 1980, Sargassum, Laminaria and Ecklonia forests were abundant all along the Korean Peninsula except the coastal zone of the Yellow Sea where the sea bottom is composed of mud. From the beginning of 1990s, however, these forests had been decreasing due to various reasons such as global warming, sea urchin grazing, industrialization near the shores, and over releasing of abalone without consideration of carrying capacity of rocky habitats, and by the end of 2004, ca. 13% of the East Sea and 31.4% of Jeju island in the South Sea became barren ground with crusty pink algae and little else covering the rocks. Construction of artificial seaweed beds, therefore, is presently looked into as a necessary factor for the recovery of natural resources. Of the seaweed species, Sargassum, Laminaria and Ecklonia are of interest in Korea. Various techniques have been applied to construct artificial seaweed beds. This paper reviews the extent of destruction of seaweed habitats along the Korean peninsula and several techniques applied to construct artificial seaweed beds in Korea.