Choi Se-Hyun, Liang Jian, Ma Chae-Woo
Fisheries Business Team, Korea Fisheries Infrastructure Public Agency, Seoul 08588, Republic of Korea.
Department of Biology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 15;15(14):2086. doi: 10.3390/ani15142086.
South Korea is one of the world's major centers for marine shellfish aquaculture. Since the industry's rapid expansion began in the 1980s, concerns have grown regarding its environmental impacts on coastal marine ecosystems. Evaluating the benthic ecological quality status (EcoQs) of shellfish farms using benthic indices provides a scientific foundation for the sustainable management of aquaculture areas. In our study, five benthic indices (AZTI's marine biotic index, BENTIX, benthic opportunistic polychaeta amphipoda index, benthic pollution index, and multivariate AMBI) and one composite index were selected to assess EcoQs of shellfish farms in Gangjin Bay, South Korea. Our results revealed significant differences in macrobenthic community structure and EcoQs between November and December in Gangjin Bay. Spearman correlation analysis and principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) demonstrated that the multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI) exhibited the best overall performance among indices. However, considering the ecological complexity, variability in farming practices, and site-specific conditions typical of shellfish aquaculture environments, the use of five benthic indices and a composite index is recommended to ensure a more comprehensive and robust evaluation of EcoQs in Korean shellfish farms.
韩国是世界主要的海洋贝类养殖中心之一。自20世纪80年代该行业开始迅速扩张以来，人们对其对沿海海洋生态系统的环境影响的担忧与日俱增。利用底栖生物指数评估贝类养殖场的底栖生态质量状况（EcoQs）为水产养殖区的可持续管理提供了科学依据。在我们的研究中，选择了五个底栖生物指数（AZTI海洋生物指数、BENTIX、底栖机会性多毛纲动物-双壳纲动物指数、底栖污染指数和多变量AMBI）和一个综合指数来评估韩国康津湾贝类养殖场的EcoQs。我们的结果显示，11月和12月康津湾大型底栖生物群落结构和EcoQs存在显著差异。Spearman相关性分析和主坐标分析（PCoA）表明，多变量AMBI（M-AMBI）在各指数中总体表现最佳。然而，考虑到贝类养殖环境典型的生态复杂性、养殖方式的变异性和特定场地条件，建议使用五个底栖生物指数和一个综合指数，以确保对韩国贝类养殖场的EcoQs进行更全面、更可靠的评估。
