Owing to the constant wind generated by the vast ocean, energy production from offshore wind farms (OWFs) plays an important role in the expansion of renewable energy. However, areas close to large wind farms are often left unutilized, and aquaculture farmers find it difficult to efficiently utilize these unoccupied spaces due to limited information showing the feasibility of utilization of OWFs as potential scallop culture sites. To analyze whether the two scallop species Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri) and bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) can be grown at OWFs of Gochang and Buan, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea, the growth characteristics of the two scallop species were analyzed and compared with those grown at the Tongyeong Megacosm Test Station. The results clearly showed that the growth of scallops at the OWF was significantly lower with respect to the shell lengths, height, width, and weight, compared to those grown at the megacosm station. However, scallops grown at the OWF still showed consistent growth in parallel with those grown at the megacosm test station. Yet, there was a species-specific mortality rate between the two sites. In addition, our results suggest that temperature may be a key determinant of the growth of C. farreri and A. irradians. Overall, this study contributes to establishing a foundation for the stable and continuous farming of marine bivalves (e.g., clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops) in OWF areas.

Benthic habitat zonation is described from in situ observations and seabed photographs taken from the coastal area of Weno Island, Chuuk, Micronesia. Habitat groups, types, and boundaries are defined by visible substratum characteristics (i.e., in situ and by digital imaging of photo-quadrats along transect lines), and by cluster and ordination analyses using relative coverage percentage of identified classification categories. The statistical similarity between habitat groups is determined by Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Benthic habitat groups with significant influence on the determination of habitat type are isolated by the similarity percentage (SIMPER) test. In addition to the standard practices of using transect lines and collecting data in accordance with the already well-implemented and thoroughly-tested benthic habitat classification scheme for tropical reef monitoring, we applied simple statistics that enable comparative data interpretation. Our simple, repeatable methods provide a framework for benthic habitat-related monitoring research that allows the comparison of results across regions.

The seasonal variations in the species composition of set net fisheries were investigated on the Eastern coast of Korea, from 2007 to 2008. In total, 51 species were found that were classified into 15 orders and 33 families. The water temperature of the study area was 0.1–1.8 °C in 2007 and 0.6–2.1 °C in 2008, which was higher than the average water temperature in the previous decade. The monthly variation in the number of species peaked twice, in May (spring) and November (autumn) when the water temperature increased and decreased, respectively, and the monthly variation in the number of individuals showed a remarkably high trend in winter and autumn and was mainly caused by large migratory species. Based on the cluster analysis of the 18 most dominant species with more than 0.4% of the total number of individuals, we divided the species composition and community structures into three groups: fishes with a temporary appearance (Group A), fishes with a long-term appearance (Group B), and dominant pelagic fishes appearing with a long-term appearance (Group C). We could conclude that the seasonal variation in the structure of the fish community was mainly caused by the pelagic migration of species under high water temperature conditions during the study period.

Two deep-sea eels collected from the East Mariana Basin in the western Pacific Ocean are described in this study. Based on their morphological features, two eel specimens were assumed to belong to the Gray cutthroat eel family, Synaphobranchidae. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes have been widely used as genetic markers to identify fish species. To accurately identify the species of the two eel specimens, we sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes from the two eel specimens. The sequences from the specimens were 100% identical. The molecular phylogenetic tree confirmed that the two eel specimens were closely related to Synaphobranchus affinis with a bootstrap value of 100%. This is the first study to report new records of S. affinis from the East Mariana Basin in the western Pacific Ocean.