Long‐Term Changes in Dominant Fisheries Species and Their Relationship With Surface Oceanic Conditions in the Waters Around the Korean Peninsula From 1980 to 2019

ABSTRACT The waters surrounding Korea are an economically–ecologically important region due to their high fishery productivity and role as seasonal migratory routes for the spawning and growth of commercially valuable species. We evaluated temporal changes in dominant fisheries species in encompassing large marine ecosystem (LME) areas 47, 48, and 50 around Korea water from 1980 to 2019 and assessed their relationships with surface oceanic conditions. Furthermore, we identified and proposed geographic regions highly related to shifts in dominant fisheries species. Sardine was the most dominant species, followed by walleye pollock, chub mackerel, anchovy, and hairtail from 1980 to 2019. The correspondence analysis (CA) results revealed a shift in species assemblages between 1989 and 1994. Sardine and walleye pollock were dominant from 1980 to 1989, while anchovy and hairtail became dominant from 1989 to 2019. Changes in dominant species in the early 1990s were significantly correlated with changes in water temperature at 50 m depth, beginning in eastern Taiwan and extending through the southwestern waters of Japan along the Japanese coast to Hokkaido, closely following the path of the Kuroshio‐Tsushima Current (KC‐TC). Future studies aimed at the sustainable and efficient use of fisheries resources in the waters around the Korean Peninsula in the context of long‐term oceanic changes should thus focus on the following: (1) annual catch fluctuations of warm‐water pelagic species and (2) variations in water temperature at 50 m in the KC‐TC region.