Pukyong National University

PKNU launched on sharing information with the world of 752 types of Marine fish
Release of a 22 year research collection, 『A Guide Book to Marine Fishes in Korea』

Pukyong National University draws public attention by publishing 『A Guide Book to Marine Fishes in Korea』 an English book that complies information on 752 species of fish to share information on marine fishes in Korea with the world.

This is the recently published 『A Guide Book to Marine Fishes in Korea』 by Marine fish resources deposit registration and preservation organization (Head Kim Jin-koo, Department of Marine biology) at Pukyong National University.

This book is a guidebook of marine fishes compiled by the research team of Professor Kim Jin-koo of Pukyong National University, which has integrated the guide information of 752 species of marine fish directly collected from all seas in Korea for 22 years up to this year since 1999. Some rare or large species were collected in cooperation with the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) and Korea Fisheries Resources Agency (FIRA).

This is an English translation version of 『A Guide Book to Marine Fishes in Korea』 published by this organization at the end of last year, adding 10 species collected this year to the 742 species contained in the book at the time. It features photos of 752 marine fish species in Korea, scientific names, shapes and characteristics, and the fact that information on fish can be viewed at once through the distribution map. Fish belonging to the same family are grouped and placed on a page so that similar species can be easily identified.

Especially, seven species, such as Korean native species in this book, such as the white-tailed Japanese hagfish, Albula koreana, Pisodonophis sangjuensis, Sea horse, long tailed lump sucker, Eulophias koreanus, Dictyosoma burgeri, were first reported in the south coast and received attention from academia. New candidate species, such as Mugil japonicus, Ammodytes, Triggerfish, Takifugu alboplumbeus are also included.

Professor Kim Jin-koo said, "Through this book, we introduce the Korean fish researcher in the late 20th century, the classification system of marine life of the East Sea, the West Sea, and the South Sea, as well as the geographical features of Dokdo, including the <Jasan Eobo>(玆山魚譜: a Korean Atlas of Fish) published in the early 19th century during the Joseon Dynasty. We also tried to introduce in detail and inhabited fish."

"Up to date, there has been less opportunity to report overseas about the distribution information of marine fishes living throughout Korea. Not only does this book serve as a bridgehead for research on marine fish in Northeast Asia, but it is also regarded as a collection of fish information in preparation for the ’Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD’ and ’the Nagoya Protocol’, which came into force in 1993 and 2014. In the future, it is expected to be of great help in creating high added value, such as the development of health supplements and medicines made from marine fish in Korea, " he explained.

Pukyong National University’s Marine fish resources deposit registration and preservation organization has conducted research and produced this book in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST) as part of the ’Project for Marine Biotechnology Development’ of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries since 2014. The institution plans to distribute this book to overseas natural history museums, universities, and research institutes. <Pukyong Today>



△ The inner image of 『A guide book to marine fishes in Korea』