Kim, H.J.; Baeck, G.W.; Lee, J.H.; Lee, S.-J.; Kang, S., and Jeong, J.M., 2023. Distribution of food resources for two species of the skate family (Beringraja pulchra and Okamejei kenojei) in the South Sea of Korea. In: Lee, J.L.; Lee, H.; Min, B.I.; Chang, J.-I.; Cho, G.T.; Yoon, J.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Management. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 116, pp. 588-592. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.

Beringraja pulchra and Okamejei kenojei belong to the Rajidae family of the order Rajiformes. They have similar morphological features, and both species are bottom fishes. B. pulchra and O. kenojei used in this study were caught by the National Institute of Fisheries Research in Tamgu 21, 22, and 23 with bottom trawl in the South Sea. Major food organisms were identified by calculating the relative importance index ratio for the two species, and food quality was compared by analyzing changes in food organisms and nutritional levels according to season and growth. A total of 192 B. pulchra were used in this study, of which 160 were analyzed except for empty stomachs, and a total of 202 O. kenojei were analyzed for 169 other than empty stomachs. The appearance width of the B. pulchra was 9.8–53.1 cm, and the apparent width of the O. kenojei was 8.3–41.2 cm. As a result of analyzing the relative importance index of the two species, macrura were the highest in both species, with 63.8 % of B. pulchra and 97.4 % of O. kenojei, which indicates that the main prey of the two species was macrura. The two species mainly consume macrura, but it is believed that they avoid competition and divide food resources by consuming preferred food organisms other than macrura.