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This study investigated the food quality characteristics of mottled skate Raja pulchra including the proximate composition, taste, color, flavor and texture as affected by area caught (Heuksando and Daecheongdo), sex and fish weight (heavy, intermediate and light grades). Based on viable cell counts, all of the mottled skates studied remained fresh. The moisture and protein contents of the mottled skate did not differ by the area caught and fish weight, but differed by fish sex. The taste of mottled skate was affected only by fish weight. The texture of the mottled skate differed according to fish sex and fish weight. The odor intensity did not differ for the three parameters.

Catches, CPUE, fishing season, disc width composition and fishing ground were studied to rebuild skate ray, Raja pulchra resource by the offshore longline fishery in Heuksan-do, Korea. Annual catches and CPUE of skate ray were increased from 2003 to 2010 (CPUE: from 2007 to 2010) continuously. The main fishing season of the skate ray was from December to next May. Disc width at 50% maturity for Raja pulchra by sex were estimated to be 65.83cm, 57.01cm by female and male respectively. The range of disc width was 22.3-112.0cm and the average disc width was 66.9cm, 60.0cm by female and male of Raja pulchra respectively during 2007-2010. Annual average of disc width of female skate ray was decreased from 2007 to 2010. The fishing grounds were formed from the coastal water off Hong-do to the coastal water off Gyeogyeolbiyeol-do, Korea. The center of fishing ground in October was formed in the northwestern coastal water off Gyeogyeolbiyeol-do and separated from that of the other months.

The distribution and abundance of coastal fish species in Asan Bay, Korea, were estimated from hydroacoustic survey and net catches. Acoustic data were collected with 38 and 200 kHz from July to October of 2012, and converted to the nautical area scattering coefficient (NASC, m 2 /mile 2 ) for 0.25 n•mile along ten transects. Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus was the dominant specie in the net catches. The virtual echogram technique was used to distinguish E. japonicus from other species based on the differences in the mean volume backscattering strength (△MVBS) at 38 and 200 kHz. Engraulis japonicus and other fishes are mainly distributed in the center channel and outer part of Asan Bay. E. japonicus tends to move from inner to outer Asan Bay in summer and fall. From NASC data, the target strength and length−weight function of E. japonicus and other fishes were used to estimate the E. japonicus stock at 24.1−93.3 tons, and other fish at 40.6−88.4 tons from July to October 2012. The estimated anchovy biomass compared well with the cumulative catch weight from stow net catches. The hydroacoustic method offers an approach to understanding spatial/temporal structure and estimating the biomass of fish aggregations in coastal areas.

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