Density estimation of euphausiids and copepods by using a multi-frequency method

This study used a multi-frequency acoustic method to assess the density and spatial distribution of dominant zooplankton, euphausiids and copepods, which are representative species of the zooplankton immigrating the sea around Republic of Korea. Acoustic surveys were carried out in the East Sea and South Sea from June 16 to 29, 2017, using the research vessel Tamgu 20th from the National Institute of Fisheries Science. From the results of the acoustic survey, the distribution of euphausiids was relatively higher in the East Sea than in the South Sea. Additionally, although the distribution of copepods was low in all areas, they were abundant in certain areas in the East Sea and the southern area of the Jeju Sea. Euphausiid and copepod density was estimated to be 1.2 g/m2 (CV = 19.1%) and 2.8 g/m2 (CV = 23.5%), respectively.