Marine Environmental Characteristics in the Coastal Area Surrounding Tongyeong Cage-Fish Farms

To assess environmental characteristics of the aquaculture area in Tongyeong, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorous (DIP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), and acid volatile sulfur (AVS) were measured in seawater and sediment samples collected from 10 loca- tions of Tongyeong coastal area from July to December in 2013. The quality of the seawater may be affected by seasonal variation rather than the distance from fish farm. However, sediment was contrary to seawater; the dis- tance from fish farm may be a main factor to affect COD and AVS in sediment than season and other parameters. It is expected that contaminated organic sediments of fishery located in semi-closed bay are rapidly dispersed into surrounding waters due to fast current.