Confirmed as the Project Operator for the Smart Aquaculture Cluster in Jeonnam Sinan-gun

Aerial view of the Smart Aquaculture Cluster in Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 30th that 'Sinan-gun, Jeonnam' has been confirmed as the new project site for the 2020 Smart Aquaculture Cluster.

The Smart Aquaculture Cluster is a project to establish a smart aquaculture pilot complex and its surrounding infrastructure utilizing 4th Industrial Revolution technologies for automation and intelligence. Based on the operational results of the smart aquaculture pilot complex, related institutions and companies such as large-scale aquaculture facilities, processing and distribution, research and development, and human resource training will gather in the surrounding area.

Recently, advanced aquaculture countries such as Norway have been focusing on expanding smart aquaculture that automatically controls water temperature, water quality, and feed supply. In Korea, partial water quality management and automation systems are applied at individual aquaculture farm units, so there is a need to build facilities that can verify and optimize smart aquaculture technologies that integrate aquaculture technology with advanced biotechnology and information and communication technology.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has been promoting the Smart Aquaculture Cluster project since last year. In January 2019, Busan City was confirmed as the first project site, and in August of the same year, Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam was confirmed as the second project site.

Sinan-gun plans to develop a 77,896㎡ site equipped with a smart aquaculture complex, processing and distribution centers, and startup and education facilities in collaboration with local fishermen, private companies, and universities. The project aims to accumulate smart aquaculture technology for shrimp and sea cucumbers, improve productivity and high value-added production, advance seed and feed technology, and strengthen the competitiveness of upstream and downstream industries through professional workforce training.

Jung Bok-cheol, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "If the Smart Aquaculture Cluster is successfully established, aquaculture productivity will greatly increase, contributing to the income improvement of fishermen." He added, "We will do our best to support this project so that it leads to technological development in related industries such as biotechnology and advanced aquaculture equipment, as well as the creation of youth jobs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.