ID :
191991
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 10:59
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191991
The shortlink copeid
Dokdo home to 617 kinds of living creatures in nearby sea: survey
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- More than 600 species of living creatures were found living in the waters off South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, a regional environment reservation agency said Thursday.
A total of 617 species of mammals, plants, birds, insects and marine plants are living in seawater near the volcanic islets, the Daegu Regional Environmental Office said, citing its survey conducted during 2007-2010.
The findings included 74 kinds of birds, spineless sea creatures and insects that were not previously thought to be usual inhabitants in the sea area before the research.
Among the varieties, marine plants accounted for 240 kinds, followed by 129 sorts of insects and 101 kinds of birds, the agency said. There are also 91 varieties of spineless sea creatures living in nearby waters along with 54 types of plants and two kinds of mammals, it added.
Of the total 54 kinds of plants, 19 were brought into the area from the outside, the research showed.
The brown algae type of sea plants account for 37 percent of all plants in the intertidal zone near the islets, a ratio much higher than 20-28 percent shown in other part of the country's east sea, the survey showed. A higher rate of brown algae, which usually inhabits cleaner seawater, indicates cleanliness of the sea area around Dokdo, the agency noted. The islets were also found to be a home to the highest number of stalked barnacle, a spineless animal living under the sea, the agency added.
The regional agency is pushing to file DNA information of Dokdo-resident creatures with the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information in order to claim the rights to profits stemming from the use of natural resources found in the disputed islets.
Japan has consistently laid claims over Dokdo, creating territory disputes on and off since its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.
South Korea rejects the claims as nonsense because the country regained independence from colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Since 1954, South Korea has stationed a small police detachment on Dokdo.
A total of 617 species of mammals, plants, birds, insects and marine plants are living in seawater near the volcanic islets, the Daegu Regional Environmental Office said, citing its survey conducted during 2007-2010.
The findings included 74 kinds of birds, spineless sea creatures and insects that were not previously thought to be usual inhabitants in the sea area before the research.
Among the varieties, marine plants accounted for 240 kinds, followed by 129 sorts of insects and 101 kinds of birds, the agency said. There are also 91 varieties of spineless sea creatures living in nearby waters along with 54 types of plants and two kinds of mammals, it added.
Of the total 54 kinds of plants, 19 were brought into the area from the outside, the research showed.
The brown algae type of sea plants account for 37 percent of all plants in the intertidal zone near the islets, a ratio much higher than 20-28 percent shown in other part of the country's east sea, the survey showed. A higher rate of brown algae, which usually inhabits cleaner seawater, indicates cleanliness of the sea area around Dokdo, the agency noted. The islets were also found to be a home to the highest number of stalked barnacle, a spineless animal living under the sea, the agency added.
The regional agency is pushing to file DNA information of Dokdo-resident creatures with the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information in order to claim the rights to profits stemming from the use of natural resources found in the disputed islets.
Japan has consistently laid claims over Dokdo, creating territory disputes on and off since its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.
South Korea rejects the claims as nonsense because the country regained independence from colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over its territory, including Dokdo and many other islands around the Korean Peninsula.
Since 1954, South Korea has stationed a small police detachment on Dokdo.
