Seabird bycatch on the Northeast Coast of South Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Bycatch refers to the incidental capture of non-target species during fishing activities and is a significant factor threatening the survival of marine organisms, particularly seabirds. The East Sea coast of South Korea is a wintering area for seabirds, utilized annually by various species as foraging sites, and is an area where seabird mortality due to bycatch is expected. This study aimed to identify the status and timing of seabird bycatch through periodic field surveys and fisher interviews targeting 22 ports on the northeast coast of South Korea from 2019 to 2024. The results confirmed that a total of 586 individuals across 16 species were killed due to bycatch. Most affected species exhibited diving foraging behavior. The most frequently caught species was the Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus). Five marine protected species by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) identified in the bycatch included the Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus), Ancient Murrelet, Japanese Murrelet (S. wumizusume), and Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). Bycatch occurred predominantly during winter in gillnet fisheries. There is an urgent need for systematic and precise surveys across the entire East Sea coast to develop measures for reducing seabird mortality.