You've probably been to Halla Mountain at least once while living in Jeju. As a Jeju resident, do you think there are any fish in the Baengnokdam lake?

In order to answer this question, a biological resource survey of the lake started on April 18 and will continue until October. Led by the Jeju Provincial World Heritage Headquarters, this biological resource survey in the Hallasan National Park is focused on three areas: freshwater fish, arachnids, and mollusks. As a matter of fact, natural resource surveys have been conducted in Halla Mountain National Park every 10 years since 1992, but this is the first time these three categories of organisms have been included in the surveys. So, this survey is significant because it is the first of its kind to uncover new values.

Freshwater fish surveys will be conducted in habitat areas such as crater lakes and wetlands in the Hallasan Highlands. Eight sites are expected to support mollusks such as freshwater fish and snails, including Plover Marsh and 1100 Marsh.

Mollusks have received little attention in the past but have recently been reported to be highly affected by factors such as human activity and climate change. The current record of species status and distribution is a biological resource that can be used as a key indicator to track human activities and climate change in the Halla Mountain in the future.

However, in the case of the Baengnokdam Lake at the top of Hallasan Mountain, there are times of the year when there is no water, so the possibility of freshwater fish is low, according to the World Heritage Center.

The survey is expected to expand the range of the known species throughout Halla Mountain National Park and confirm the changes and characteristics of their distribution over time.